1
as in probable
having a high chance of occurring
if you don't graduate from high school, your likely fate is a low-paying job
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in promising
having qualities which inspire hope
this looks like a likely spot for good trout fishing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in plausible
worthy of being accepted as true or reasonable
we didn't find her excuse a very likely story
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in pretty
very pleasing to look at
a likely gal such as yourself should have no trouble getting a date
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in probably
by reasonable assumption
the picnic will likely be cancelled if the storm continues
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of likely
Miami Herald Hurricane Bot, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Miami Herald Hurricane Bot, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
The Spurs likely won't win enough games for Wembanyama to get any real MVP consideration this season.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for likely
Adjective
Additional heavy rainfall is likely beyond Tuesday; uncertainty at that time range precludes exact storm totals.
—Miami Herald Hurricane Bot, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Adverb
Tropical storm conditions are likely occuring in Jamaica, with hurricane conditions expected to begin by Monday.
—Miami Herald Hurricane Bot, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
The Spurs likely won't win enough games for Wembanyama to get any real MVP consideration this season.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for likely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for likely
Adjective
-
Anthony Davis was the only Lakers player listed as probable on the injury report from that day.—
Doha Madani,
NBC news,
23 Oct. 2025
-
How probable is a US launch anyway?—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
More promising still is Dell’s use of Salesforce’s AI agents to automate parts of its supply chain, including onboarding new suppliers, which has cut its average onboarding time from months to days.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
-
While the New York Giants haven't played well over the past few years, there have been some promising signs over the past few weeks.—
Jon Conahan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Advertisement Still, how plausible is Bigelow’s tick-tock nightmare?—
Jake Kring-Schreifels,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
-
There were plausible reasons to sell senior players Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Jarell Quansah and Caoimhin Kelleher — given the sums that were offered, or the fact that the players themselves were pushing for moves — but none had to be sold.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Ahead, three ways to make the most of these pretty plants well beyond summer.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The Brightline’s passenger cars are softly lit with pretty blue LEDs along the ceiling, and the roomy seats are upholstered with soft white leather.—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
22 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Louisville would probably look quite different if the founder of Brown-Forman never became the first whiskey maker to bottle and seal his liquor.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Sports betting is probably as old as sports itself.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Having initially faced 20 years in jail, the additional indictments raised his possible jail term to 45 years, with a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Each restaurant in Jefferson County is scored out of a possible 100 points.—
Gege Reed,
Louisville Courier Journal,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The bright bubblegum-pink design has green sketches of the movie’s most iconic characters, including Glinda, Elphaba, Madame Morrible, and the Cowardly Lion, while gold accents add extra shine to the dishwasher-safe cup.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
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Now, children laugh and study in the open-air structure, boasting candy-bright paint.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The opposition and many Western governments have rejected the result, citing a lack of transparency and credible voting data.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Any of Morocco’s front three could have featured here; all credible suggestions for player of the tournament.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Likely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/likely. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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