as in probability
the quality or state of being likely to occur
the weatherman on TV said that the likelihood of rain today was fairly high
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of likelihood
For Black men, systemic racism has inhibited their response to pain and emotional turmoil by shaming them out of vulnerability, which reduces the likelihood of them asking for help when needed.
—
Essence, 23 Oct. 2025
The southeastern portion of the state has an equal likelihood of above, below or near average temperatures during December, January and February.
—Cailey Gleeson, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Melissa, for example, poses a major flooding threat to Jamaica and Hispaniola in particular, due to its extended proximity to land, the presence of tall mountains that tend to wring out moisture from the atmosphere and the likelihood that heavy rains will fall for many consecutive days.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
As the storm moves away, this likelihood decreases.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for likelihood
Essence, 23 Oct. 2025
The southeastern portion of the state has an equal likelihood of above, below or near average temperatures during December, January and February.
—Cailey Gleeson, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Melissa, for example, poses a major flooding threat to Jamaica and Hispaniola in particular, due to its extended proximity to land, the presence of tall mountains that tend to wring out moisture from the atmosphere and the likelihood that heavy rains will fall for many consecutive days.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
As the storm moves away, this likelihood decreases.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for likelihood
Recent Examples of Synonyms for likelihood
probability
Noun
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These experiments came after a deep-learning model sifted through possibilities to find high-probability candidates, a definitive transformation from brute-force searches typically favored in the past.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Oct. 2025
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The probability of lightning strikes rises as a thunderstorm approaches and peaks when the storm is directly above.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Likelihood.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/likelihood. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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