likely

CEFRA2

/ˈlaɪkli/

adjective · adj/adv

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Probably going to happen or be true.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Appropriate, suitable; believable; promising, having a good potential.

Examples

  • Heavy rain is likely by late afternoon, according to the forecast.

  • The most likely explanation is that his plane was delayed.

At a glance

Sits at A2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
2

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Reasonably to be expected; apparently destined, probable.

  2. Probable; having a greater-than-even chance of occurring.

adj/adv

Extra meaning

  1. Probable or expected; probably.

More examples

In context

  • Do you think there's likely to be snow?

  • He is likely to succeed at anything he tries.

  • Rain is likely later this afternoon.

Synonyms

Quick test

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Question 1 · Quick check

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Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English likely, likly, lykly, likliche, from Old English ġelīclīċ (“suitable”) and Old Norse líkligr (“likely”) (probably independent formations), equivalent to like + -ly (adjectival suffix).