What does likely mean?

Definitions for likely
ˈlaɪk lilike·ly

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word likely.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. likelyadjective

    has a good chance of being the case or of coming about

    "these services are likely to be available to us all before long"; "she is likely to forget"; "a likely place for a restaurant"; "the broken limb is likely to fall"; "rain is likely"; "a likely topic for investigation"; "likely candidates for the job"

  2. probable, likelyadjective

    likely but not certain to be or become true or real

    "a likely result"; "he foresaw a probable loss"

  3. likely, potentialadjective

    expected to become or be; in prospect

    "potential clients"

  4. likelyadverb

    within the realm of credibility

    "not a very likely excuse"

  5. probably, likely, in all likelihood, in all probability, belikeadverb

    with considerable certainty; without much doubt

    "He is probably out of the country"; "in all likelihood we are headed for war"

Wiktionary

  1. likelynoun

    Something or somebody considered likely.

  2. likelyadverb

    Similarly.

  3. likelyadverb

    Probably.

    Likely he'll win the election in this economy.

  4. likelyadjective

    probable; having a greater-than-even chance of occurring

    Rain is likely later this afternoon.

  5. likelyadjective

    probable; Possessing or displaying the qualities or characteristics that make something probable

    They are likely to become angry with him.

  6. likelyadjective

    appropriate, suitable; believable; having a good potential

    Jones is a likely candidate for management.

  7. likelyadjective

    plausible; Within the realm of credibility

    not a very likely excuse.

  8. likelyadjective

    promising; Apt to achieve success or yield a desired outcome

    a likely topic for investigation.

  9. likelyadjective

    attractive; pleasant

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

  10. likelyadjective

    Reasonably to be expected; apparently destined.

    He is likely to succeed at anything he tries.

  11. Etymology: From líkligr, from líkr.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Likelyadjective

    Etymology: from like.

    These young companions make themselves believe they love at the first looking of a likely beauty. Philip Sidney.

    Sir John, they are your likeliest men; I would have you served with the best. William Shakespeare, Henry IV. p. ii.

  2. Likelyadverb

    Probably; as may reasonably be thought.

    While man was innocent, he was likely ignorant of nothing that imported him to know. Joseph Glanvill, Scep.

ChatGPT

  1. likely

    Likely refers to something or an event having a high probability of occurring or being true; probable or expected.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Likelyadjective

    worthy of belief; probable; credible; as, a likely story

  2. Likelyadjective

    having probability; having or giving reason to expect; -- followed by the infinitive; as, it is likely to rain

  3. Likelyadjective

    similar; like; alike

  4. Likelyadjective

    such as suits; good-looking; pleasing; agreeable; handsome

  5. Likelyadjective

    having such qualities as make success probable; well adapted to the place; promising; as, a likely young man; a likely servant

  6. Likelyadverb

    in all probability; probably

  7. Etymology: [That is, like-like. See Like, a.]

Wikidata

  1. Likely

    Likely is a census-designated place in Modoc County, California. It is located near the South Fork of the Pit River 18 miles south of the county seat of Alturas, at an elevation of 4,449 feet. Located 6 miles north-northwest of Likely Mountain, it is somewhat sheltered from prevailing southwesterly winds, and its microclimate is noticeably drier and less stormy than surrounding areas. The ZIP Code for the community is 96116.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. LIKELY

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Likely is ranked #38532 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Likely surname appeared 574 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Likely.

    72.1% or 414 total occurrences were Black.
    24.3% or 140 total occurrences were White.
    1.9% or 11 total occurrences were of two or more races.
    1% or 6 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'likely' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #384

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'likely' in Written Corpus Frequency: #878

  3. Adjectives Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'likely' in Adjectives Frequency: #38

How to pronounce likely?

How to say likely in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of likely in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of likely in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of likely in a Sentence

  1. Scott Gottlieb:

    I think we need to think of that as largely a 2021 event, and if we do have a vaccine available in 2020, it's likely to be used in a much more targeted fashion -- almost in a therapeutic sense, to protect very high-risk populations.

  2. Seth Berkowitz:

    I think it lets us know that even if we - nationwide - achieve the rate of insurance coverage in Massachusetts, these problems will still likely exist.

  3. Leo Feler:

    We don't expect a large decline in home prices across the US ; it's likely to remain fairly stable.

  4. David Amsellem:

    These products are more likely to perform better if they were in the hands of other companies.

  5. Orphe Divounguy:

    Evidence — in either direction — of spillovers into the broader economy or accelerating inflation would likely cause another policy shift, which would materialize in mortgage rates.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

likely#1#1481#10000

Translations for likely

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • sandsynligDanish
  • glaubhaft, wahrscheinlich, plausibelGerman
  • probableSpanish
  • احتمال داردPersian
  • uskottava, lupaava, mahdollinen, sopiva, luultava, todennäköinen, miellyttäväFinnish
  • probableFrench
  • promettente, adatto, piacevole, probabile, verosimileItalian
  • きっと, おそらくJapanese
  • iespējams, ticamsLatvian
  • sannsynligNorwegian
  • prawdopodobnyPolish
  • provávelPortuguese
  • probabilRomanian
  • многообещающий, очаровательный, обаятельный, возможный, вероятный, подающий надежды, годный, подходящий, привлекательный, пригодный, перспективныйRussian
  • vjerojatanSerbo-Croatian
  • sannolik, trolig, rimligSwedish
  • швидше за всеUkrainian
  • 容易Chinese

Get even more translations for likely »

Translation

Find a translation for the likely definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"likely." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/likely>.

Discuss these likely definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for likely? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    reading carefully with intent to remember
    A aspiration
    B perusal
    C bash
    D guts

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for likely: