improbable

Not likely to be true.

Adjective

  1. Not likely to be true.
    • It's highly improbable that aliens abducted you.
    • Improbabile, that cannot be prooued, improbable. - 1598, John Florio, “Improbabile”, in A Worlde of Words, or Most Copious, and Exact Dictionarie in Italian and English, […], London: […] Arnold Hatfield for Edw[ard]...
    • Nay, if he be of a proud humour, […] he will not Bate an Ace of abſolute certainty, but however doubtful or improbable the thing is, coming f[r]om him it muſt go for an indiſputable truth. - 1674, [Richard Allestree],...
  2. Not likely to happen.
    • Due to the loss of power, it is improbable that we will begin on time.

Origin

Borrowed from Latin improbābilis. By surface analysis, im- + probable.

Forms

more improbable most improbable

Antonyms

probable

Related

probability probably impossible

Derived

improbability improbableness improbably statistically improbable phrase superimprobable