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likely - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'likely' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Likely [ a.]
- Worthy of belief; probable; credible; as, a likely story.
- Having probability; having or giving reason to expect; -- followed by the infinitive; as, it is likely to rain.
- Similar; like; alike.
- Such as suits; good-looking; pleasing; agreeable; handsome.
- Having such qualities as make success probable; well adapted to the place; promising; as, a likely young man; a likely servant.
2 . Likely [ adv.]
- In all probability; probably.

Meaning of 'likely' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . likely [ a]
Meaning (1):
- has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
Example in sentence:
  • a likely place for a restaurant;
  • a likely topic for investigation;
  • likely candidates for the job;
  • rain is likely;
  • she is likely to forget;
  • the broken limb is likely to fall;
  • these services are likely to be available to us all before long
Meaning (2):
- likely but not certain to be or become true or real
Example in sentence:
  • a likely result;
  • he foresaw a probable loss
3 . likely [ r]
Meaning (3):
- with considerable certainty; without much doubt
Example in sentence:
  • He is probably out of the country;
  • in all likelihood we are headed for war
4 . likely [ s]
Meaning (4):
- within the realm of credibility
Example in sentence:
  • not a very likely excuse
Meaning (5):
- expected to become or be; in prospect
Example in sentence:
  • potential clients

Nearby Words:

likable like like-minded likeable liked likehood likelihood likeliness liken likened

See 'likely' also in:

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