as in doubtful
not likely to be true or to occur
in the unlikely event that the file is deleted or corrupted, you will want to have backup copies available
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unlikely
The ‘Turkey Brothers’ steal the encore with a boisterous jam
As fans begged for an encore to an empty stage, an unlikely guest took center stage.
—
Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 17 May 2025
The first two rounds saw an unlikely name claim the top of the leaderboard.
—Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 17 May 2025
South Africa has found itself at the unlikely center of an American political firestorm, Elon Musk, who grew up there during apartheid, weighing in repeatedly.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025
The story follows unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Pattinson), who has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unlikely
Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 17 May 2025
The first two rounds saw an unlikely name claim the top of the leaderboard.
—Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 17 May 2025
South Africa has found itself at the unlikely center of an American political firestorm, Elon Musk, who grew up there during apartheid, weighing in repeatedly.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025
The story follows unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Pattinson), who has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unlikely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlikely
Adjective
-
Hours before tip-off, word spread that Gordon was doubtful to play and that this injury would take weeks to recover from.—
Ricardo Klein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
-
Nonetheless, the stock has declined nearly 40% from its peak in 2024, as investors remain doubtful regarding these plans.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
Adjective
-
After the 2020 election, Fox took her off the air because her promotion of the false contention Dominion voting machines rigged the election against Trump became part of its $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox. Pirro and Martin are not the only dubious department appointees.—
Carl Leubsdorf,
Mercury News,
16 May 2025
-
Their dubious ‘reward’ for topping the league phase table was a matchup with another of the best teams on the continent, Paris Saint-Germain, who had underperformed in the league phase but were an obvious sleeping giant.—
James Nalton,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
The Gondoliers haven’t won an upper division championship since 1972 and are trying to follow the same improbable path as last year’s champion, Bell, which hadn’t been to a final since 1953.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2025
-
Well, that is unless Villa can make up a 16-goal deficit in the goal-difference stakes, which is not impossible, but feels highly improbable.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
Gordon will officially be listed as questionable for Sunday afternoon’s contest at Paycom Center, team sources told The Athletic.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
-
The Trump Administration has unleashed a torrent of unconstitutional executive orders and other questionable legal actions; with many of them, its goal seems less to win in the end than to inflict as much damage as possible along the way.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
17 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unlikely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlikely. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share