as in doubtful
not likely to be true or to occur
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Recent Examples of unlikely
In the past week, Punch—the baby Japanese snow monkey who was reportedly abandoned by his mother and was being raised by zoo staff—has become an unlikely international celebrity.
—
Joshua Mellin, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2026
Four of those five teams advanced to the Final Four, but Miami is unlikely to have that level of success.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 27 Feb. 2026
While the liberal order led by the United States is unlikely to return due to profound disruptive forces, the shape of the future remains uncertain.
—Time, 26 Feb. 2026
This storm is highly unlikely to rival the blizzard from February, especially across the coastal Northeast.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unlikely
Joshua Mellin, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2026
Four of those five teams advanced to the Final Four, but Miami is unlikely to have that level of success.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 27 Feb. 2026
While the liberal order led by the United States is unlikely to return due to profound disruptive forces, the shape of the future remains uncertain.
—Time, 26 Feb. 2026
This storm is highly unlikely to rival the blizzard from February, especially across the coastal Northeast.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unlikely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlikely
Adjective
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Williams is listed as doubtful against the Suns; Shulga is out.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Fellow Finn Roope Hintz is doubtful for Wednesday’s game against Seattle due to illness.—
Lia Assimakopoulos,
Dallas Morning News,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Still, many Hungarians are dubious of Orban’s anti-Ukraine messaging.—
Justin Spike,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
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As reviewers have noted, the engine of her Wuthering Heights is not emotion or plot but rather the whiplash created by audiovisual juxtapositions—most of which project the dubious theory that Victorian social rules were equivalent to BDSM.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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After missing Saturday’s contest, Suggs is considered questionable to play Sunday at Los Angeles.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Now, that tactic seems questionable.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Porzingis missed Sunday’s improbable victory over the Nuggets with an illness, remaining in his hotel room and not even attending the game.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
23 Feb. 2026
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Italians will always treasure those moments when their hero Federica Brignone captured one improbable gold medal and then another.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unlikely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlikely. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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