Likely \Like"ly\, adv.
In all probability; probably.
[1913 Webster]
While man was innocent he was likely ignorant of
nothing that imported him to know. --Glanvill.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Likely \Like"ly\, a. [Compar. Likelier (l[imac]k"l[i^]*[~e]r);
superl. Likeliest.] [That is, like-like. See Like, a.]
1. Worthy of belief; probable; credible; as, a likely story.
[1913 Webster]
It seems likely that he was in hope of being busy
and conspicuous. --Johnson.
[1913 Webster]
2. Having probability; having or giving reason to expect; --
followed by the infinitive; as, it is likely to rain.
[1913 Webster]
3. Similar; like; alike. [Obs.] --Spenser.
[1913 Webster]
4. Such as suits; good-looking; pleasing; agreeable;
handsome. --Shak. --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
5. Having such qualities as make success probable; well
adapted to the place; promising; as, a likely young man; a
likely servant.
[1913 Webster]
6. Improbable; unlikely; -- used ironically; as, a likely
story. [informal]
[PJC]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
likely
adj 1: 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" [ant:
unlikely]
2: likely but not certain to be or become true or real; "a
likely result"; "he foresaw a probable loss" [syn: probable,
plausible] [ant: improbable]
3: expected to become or be; in prospect; "potential clients";
"expected income" [syn: expected, potential]
4: within the realm of credibility; "not a very likely excuse";
"a plausible story" [syn: plausible]
adv : with considerable certainty; without much doubt; "He is
probably out of the country"; "in all likelihood we are
headed for war" [syn: probably, in all likelihood,
in all probability, belike]
WordNet (r) 2.0
160 Moby Thesaurus words for "likely":
Junoesque, a propos, able, acceptable, ad rem, adapted,
advantageous, advisable, agreeable, amply endowed, applicable,
apposite, appropriate, apropos, apt, apt to, assumably, becoming,
befitting, bent, bonny, braw, built, built for comfort, buxom,
by all odds, callipygian, callipygous, cogitable, comely,
conceivable, conceivably possible, congruous, contingent,
convenient, couleur de rose, credible, curvaceous, curvy, decent,
desirable, disposed, disposed to, dispositioned,
dollars to doughnuts, doubtless, doubtlessly, dovetailing, earthly,
encouraging, expected, expedient, fair, favorable, favored,
favorite, feasible, felicitous, fit, fitted, fitten, fitting,
foreseeable, fructuous, geared, given, goddess-like, good,
good-looking, goodly, happy, hopeful, humanly possible, imaginable,
in all likelihood, in all probability, in the cards, in the mood,
inclined, inclined to, indubitably, just right, liable, liable to,
like enough, lovely to behold, meet, meshing, minded, mortal,
most likely, no doubt, odds-on, on the button, opportune, pat,
personable, plausible, pleasing, pneumatic, politic, possible,
potential, predictable, predictable within limits, predisposed,
presentable, presumable, presumably, presumptive, presumptively,
probable, probably, profitable, promising, prone, proper,
qualified, reasonable, recommendable, relevant, right,
rose-colored, roseate, rosy, seasonable, seemly, shapely, sightly,
slender, sortable, stacked, statistically probable, statuesque,
suitable, suited, suiting, tailored, ten to one, tenable,
thinkable, timely, to be desired, to the point, to the purpose,
undoubtedly, useful, verisimilar, very like, very likely,
well-built, well-favored, well-formed, well-made,
well-proportioned, well-shaped, well-stacked, well-timed, wise,
worthwhile
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
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