unlikely
adjective
un·like·ly
ˌən-ˈlī-klē 
1
: not likely : improbable
an unlikely outcome
2
: likely to fail : unpromising
Examples of unlikely in a Sentence
He was an unlikely candidate for the position.
A big city seems like an unlikely place to find wildlife.
I received support from an unlikely ally.
Recent Examples on the Web
Furthermore, with Florian Wirtz walking off the pitch with an injury today, a Leverkusen comeback is even more unlikely.
—
Manuel Veth, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Season 1 of the series, which follows the unlikely romance between an agnostic podcaster and a rabbi, spent six weeks in Netflix’s Global English Top 10 TV List and reached the Top 10 in 89 countries.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
However, experts say the supplement itself is unlikely to help with measles.
—Jenna Anderson, Health, 7 Mar. 2025
Garrett McNamara is the center of the story, a pioneering big-wave surfer who searches the world for monster swells and discovered what’s become one of the most fearsome surfing breaks in the world, in the unlikely place of Nazaré, Portugal.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unlikely
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Manuel Veth, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Season 1 of the series, which follows the unlikely romance between an agnostic podcaster and a rabbi, spent six weeks in Netflix’s Global English Top 10 TV List and reached the Top 10 in 89 countries.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
However, experts say the supplement itself is unlikely to help with measles.
—Jenna Anderson, Health, 7 Mar. 2025
Garrett McNamara is the center of the story, a pioneering big-wave surfer who searches the world for monster swells and discovered what’s become one of the most fearsome surfing breaks in the world, in the unlikely place of Nazaré, Portugal.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unlikely
Cite this Entry
“Unlikely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unlikely. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unlikely
adjective
un·like·ly
ˌən-ˈlī-klē
ˈən-
1
: not likely : improbable
an unlikely story
2
: likely to fail : unpromising
an unlikely place for fishing
unlikeliness
noun
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