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
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"
probable, likelyadjective
likely but not certain to be or become true or real
"a likely result"; "he foresaw a probable loss"
likely, potentialadjective
expected to become or be; in prospect
"potential clients"
likelyadverb
within the realm of credibility
"not a very likely excuse"
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
likelynoun
Something or somebody considered likely.
likelyadverb
Similarly.
likelyadverb
Probably.
Likely he'll win the election in this economy.
likelyadjective
probable; having a greater-than-even chance of occurring
Rain is likely later this afternoon.
likelyadjective
probable; Possessing or displaying the qualities or characteristics that make something probable
They are likely to become angry with him.
likelyadjective
appropriate, suitable; believable; having a good potential
Jones is a likely candidate for management.
likelyadjective
plausible; Within the realm of credibility
not a very likely excuse.
likelyadjective
promising; Apt to achieve success or yield a desired outcome
a likely topic for investigation.
likelyadjective
attractive; pleasant
found a likely spot under a shady tree for the picnic.
likelyadjective
Reasonably to be expected; apparently destined.
He is likely to succeed at anything he tries.
Etymology: From líkligr, from líkr.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
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.
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
likely
Likely refers to something or an event having a high probability of occurring or being true; probable or expected.
Webster Dictionary
Likelyadjective
worthy of belief; probable; credible; as, a likely story
Likelyadjective
having probability; having or giving reason to expect; -- followed by the infinitive; as, it is likely to rain
Likelyadjective
similar; like; alike
Likelyadjective
such as suits; good-looking; pleasing; agreeable; handsome
Likelyadjective
having such qualities as make success probable; well adapted to the place; promising; as, a likely young man; a likely servant
Likelyadverb
in all probability; probably
Etymology: [That is, like-like. See Like, a.]
Wikidata
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
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
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'likely' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #384
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'likely' in Written Corpus Frequency: #878
Adjectives Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'likely' in Adjectives Frequency: #38
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of likely in Chaldean Numerology is: 6
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of likely in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
Examples of likely in a Sentence
Adding voice recognition to engage with screen-based experiences is likely to be an effective approach.
As far as making up the deficit in Milwaukee, a few inches are possible Saturday night and Sunday morning, monday's system may also bring some snow, though for now it appears that the heavier amounts will be closer to the Chicago area. At this point, we will likely need multiple systems in fairly short order to make up the difference.
We thought that neuroticism would have likely gone one of two ways, either preferring sad music to express their loneliness or preferring upbeat music to shift their mood. Actually, on average, they seem to prefer more intense musical styles, which perhaps reflects inner angst and frustration, that was surprising but people use music in different ways -- some might use it for catharsis, others to change their mood. We'll be looking into that in more detail.
It's highly likely that traffickers have just shifted approach.
I think they're just as likely to get into the coffee house business, that would be a big step for Apple and highly unlikely that they would ever do that. Apple is very much a consumer driven company.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
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
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