UNLIKELY: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for UNLIKELY?

Need another word that means the same as “unlikely”? Find 22 synonyms and 30 related words for “unlikely” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Unlikely” are: improbable, unbelievable, unconvincing, not likely, doubtful, dubious, unexpected, implausible, questionable, remote, strained, laboured, unrealistic, incredible, inconceivable, unimaginable, fantastic, fabulous, fanciful, ridiculous, absurd, preposterous

Unlikely as an Adjective

Definitions of "Unlikely" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “unlikely” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Not likely to be true or to occur or to have occurred.
• Not likely to happen, be done, or be true; improbable.
• Has little chance of being the case or coming about.
• Having a probability too low to inspire belief.

Synonyms of "Unlikely" as an adjective (22 Words)

absurd	Inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense. The absurd predicament of seeming to argue that virtue is highly desirable but intensely unpleasant.
doubtful	Feeling uncertain about something. Of doubtful legality.
dubious	Hesitating or doubting. Timeshare has been brought into disrepute by dubious sales methods.
fabulous	Having no basis in reality; mythical. A fabulous vacation.
fanciful	Existing only in the imagination. A fanciful mind.
fantastic	Ludicrously odd. A fantastic idea of his own importance.
implausible	Highly imaginative but unlikely. Gave the teacher an implausible excuse.
improbable	Too improbable to admit of belief. The characters have improbable names.
inconceivable	Not capable of being imagined or grasped mentally; unbelievable. They behaved with inconceivable cruelty.
incredible	Difficult to believe; extraordinary. The noise from the crowd was incredible.
laboured	(especially of humour or a performance) not spontaneous or fluent. One of Alan s laboured jokes.
not likely	Expected to become or be; in prospect.
preposterous	So unreasonable as to invite derision. A preposterous suggestion.
questionable	Able to be refuted. Questionable motives.
remote	Distant in time. A remote relative.
ridiculous	So unreasonable as to invite derision. Her conceited assumption of universal interest in her rather dull children was ridiculous.
strained	Of a mainly liquid substance having been strained to separate out any solid matter. There was a strained silence.
unbelievable	So great or extreme as to be difficult to believe; extraordinary. Unbelievable or not it happened.
unconvincing	Having a probability too low to inspire belief. As unconvincing as a forced smile.
unexpected	Not expected or regarded as likely to happen. Unexpected news.
unimaginable	Difficult or impossible to imagine or comprehend. Lives of almost unimaginable deprivation.
unrealistic	Not realistic. It was unrealistic to expect changes to be made overnight.

Usage Examples of "Unlikely" as an adjective

• Legislation on the question is highly unlikely.
• An unlikely candidate for reelection.
• An unlikely explanation.
• An unlikely story.
• Prices are unlikely to change.
• It is unlikely that they will ever be used.
• A butcher is unlikely to preach vegetarianism.

Associations of "Unlikely" (30 Words)

amaze	Surprise (someone) greatly; fill with astonishment. Your ability to speak six languages amazes me.
astonish	Surprise or impress (someone) greatly. It astonished her that he was so anxious.
astonishing	So surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm. An astonishing achievement.
astound	Shock or greatly surprise. Her bluntness astounded him.
astounding	Bewildering or striking dumb with wonder. The summit offers astounding views.
disbelief	Doubt about the truth of something. Laura shook her head in disbelief.
doubtful	Unsettled in mind or opinion. I was doubtful of my judgement.
exist	Have an existence be extant. He could barely exist on such a low wage.
fabulous	Barely credible. The fabulous unicorn.
farfetched	Highly imaginative but unlikely. A farfetched excuse.
implausible	Having a quality that provokes disbelief. This is a blatantly implausible claim.
impossible	Used of persons or their behavior. His assignment verged on the impossible.
improbable	Too improbable to admit of belief. This account of events was seen by the jury as most improbable.
inconceivable	Not capable of being imagined or grasped mentally; unbelievable. It seemed inconceivable that the president had been unaware of what was going on.
incredible	Beyond belief or understanding. At incredible speed.
marvelous	Extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers. A marvelous collection of rare books.
miraculous	Of the nature of a miracle or having the power to work miracles. I felt amazed and grateful for our miraculous escape.
miraculously	In a remarkable and extremely lucky manner. A shrine where people bring the sick to be miraculously healed.
profound	Profound quality. A state of profound shock.
redoubtable	(of a person) formidable, especially as an opponent. The redoubtable ladies.
staggering	So surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm. Suffered a staggering defeat.
supposed	Based primarily on surmise rather than adequate evidence. He was supposed to go to the store.
unacceptable	Used of persons or their behavior. The coach told his players that defeat was unacceptable.
unbelievable	So great or extreme as to be difficult to believe; extraordinary. Unbelievable or not it happened.
unconvincing	Failing to impress. She felt the lie was unconvincing.
unimaginable	Difficult or impossible to imagine or comprehend. Lives of almost unimaginable deprivation.
unreliable	Not able to be relied upon. An unreliable trestle.
unthinkable	Incapable of being conceived or considered. It was unthinkable that John could be dead.
untrustworthy	Not worthy of trust or belief. An untrustworthy person.
wonderful	Extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers. They all think she s wonderful.