likely
If something's probably true, it's likely. When you walk in the rain, it's likely that your shoes will get wet.
Likely is an adjective that's perfect for describing things you can imagine happening, such as the likely destination of next summer's vacation. Any time that something is in the cards, or bound to happen, you can explain that it's likely to happen. Though it's rarely used this way today in American English, one meaning of likely since the 15th century has been "good looking or attractive."
Definitions of likely
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having a good chance of being the case or of coming about“these services are likely to be available to us all before long”“she is likely to forget”“a likely place for a restaurant”“the broken limb is likely to fall”“rain is likely”“a likely topic for investigation”“likely candidates for the job”
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Synonyms:
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apt, liable
at risk of or subject to experiencing something usually unpleasant
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probable
apparently destined
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promising
showing possibility of achievement or excellence
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possible
capable of happening or existing
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Antonyms:
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unlikely
has little chance of being the case or coming about
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farfetched, implausible
highly imaginative but unlikely
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last
most unlikely or unsuitable
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outside, remote
very unlikely
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apt, liable
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likely but not certain to be or become true or real“a likely result”
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synonyms:
probable
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equiprobable
equally probable
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presumptive
having a reasonable basis for belief or acceptance
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verisimilar
appearing to be true or real
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Antonyms:
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improbable, unlikely
not likely to be true or to occur or to have occurred
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supposed
mistakenly believed
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equiprobable
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expected to become or be; in prospect
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synonyms:
potential
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prospective
of or concerned with or related to the future
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prospective
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within the realm of credibility“not a very likely excuse”
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Synonyms:
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believable, credible
capable of being believed
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believable, credible
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with considerable certainty; without much doubt
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synonyms:
belike, in all likelihood, in all probability, probably
Pronunciation
US
/ˈlaɪkli/
UK
/ˈlaɪkli/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘likely'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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