Meaning

7 senses

  1. Probable; having a greater-than-even chance of occurring.

    Rain is likely later this afternoon.

    wahrscheinlich

    вероя́тныйverojátnyj, возмо́жныйvozmóžnyj

    імові́рнийimovírnyj, ймові́рнийjmovírnyj, можли́вийmožlývyj

  2. (infinitive, with to)Reasonably to be expected; apparently destined, probable.

    Do you think there's likely to be snow?

    He is likely to succeed at anything he tries.

  3. Appropriate, suitable; believable; promising, having a good potential.

    Jones is a likely candidate for management.

    The relationship with social status is a likely topic for investigation.

    го́дныйgódnyj, подходя́щийpodxodjáščij, приго́дныйprigódnyj

  4. Plausible; within the realm of credibility.

    not a very likely excuse.

    wahrscheinlich, glaubhaft, plausibel

    within the realm of credibility

  5. Leading with high probability to some specified outcome.

    a likely recipe for disaster.

  6. (archaic)Attractive; pleasant.

    I found a likely spot under a shady tree for the picnic.

    привлека́тельныйprivlekátelʹnyj, очарова́тельныйočarovátelʹnyj, обаятельныйobajatelʹnyj

  7. (obsolete)Similar; like; alike.

Examples

4760 sentences

  1. It is likely to rain again.

    Напевно знову дощитиме. — Oleksandr_Tahayev

    ruВероятно, опять будет дождь. — marafon

    deEs wird wahrscheinlich wieder regnen. — mayabe

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  2. It is likely to rain today.

    Схоже, що сьогодні буде дощ. — shanghainese

    deEs regnet heute wahrscheinlich. — Wolf

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  3. He is likely to arrive soon.

    Здається, він скоро буде тут. — shanghainese

    ruОн, вероятно, скоро прибудет. — Lenin_1917

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  4. Tom is likely older than Mary.

    Том, скоріш за все, старший, ніж Мері. — deniko

    ruСкорее всего, Том старше Мэри. — Wezel

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  5. It's likely that Tom will come.

    Ймовірно, Том прийде. — deniko

    ruВероятно, Том придёт. — odexed

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

8 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
probable; having a greater-than-even chance of occurring:
Русский
By meaning 4
probable; having a greater-than-even chance of occurring:
appropriate; believable; having a good potential:
promising; apt to achieve success or yield a desired outcome:
attractive; pleasant:
Deutsch
By meaning 2
probable; having a greater-than-even chance of occurring:
plausible; within the realm of credibility:

Origin

From Middle English likely, likly, lykly, likliche, from Old English ġelīclīċ (“suitable”)

From Middle English likely, likly, lykly, likliche, from Old English ġelīclīċ (“suitable”) and Old Norse líkligr (“likely”) (probably independent formations), equivalent to like + -ly (adjectival suffix).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

more likely/likelier, most likely/likeliest
Comparativemore likely / likelier Lesson
Superlativemost likely / likeliest Lesson

regular

Synonyms

3 synonyms
proximate
as predicate, followed by "to" and infinitive:liable
Close in meaning
  • expected to become or be; in prospect:potential

Antonyms

1 antonyms
unlikely

Word family

7 related words
Relatedlikeliness
DerivedlikelihoodC1unlikelyB1likelilylikely ladlikely storynot likely

Lessons for this word

2 lessons

Collocations

12 patterns
  • is likely to
  • likely to be
  • will likely be
  • likely to still
  • very likely to
  • not likely to
  • likely to do
  • isn't very likely
  • likely going to
  • likely to happen
  • likely to win
  • likely do that

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
likeA1likelihoodC1likenlikenessB1likewiseB2
likely — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto