English · Word Candidate

unlikely

/ʌnˈlaɪkli/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: unlikelier · unlikeliest · unlikelies

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Not likely; improbable; not to be reasonably expected.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Không có khả năng; khó xảy ra

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

It is pretty unlikely that you'll win, but I will pray that at least you do well.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Not holding out a prospect of success; likely to fail; unpromising.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Không có triển vọng thành công

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

unlikely means

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

In an improbable manner.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Theo cách khó xảy ra

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adverb

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Something or somebody considered unlikely.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Một thứ hoặc một người nào đó được coi là không có khả năng

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

The molecular ion candidates are divided by the testing phase into three categories: rejects, unlikelies, and probables. Differences between each candidate and the prominent peaks in the spectrum are computed.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “unlikely” mean?

Not likely; improbable; not to be reasonably expected.

Is “unlikely” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.