unlikeliest

IPA/ʌnˈlaɪ.kli/
IPA/ʌnˈlaɪ.kli/

unlikeliest — adjective

  • unlikeliestpositive
  • more unlikeliestcomparative
  • most unlikeliestsuperlative

1. The person, thing, or event among those being compared that has the smallest cha

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

The person, thing, or event among those being compared that has the smallest chance of happening or being true.

Example

Of all the horses in the race, the unlikeliest winner was the one nobody had heard of.

unlikeliest + noun describing an improbable member of a group

Dr. Okonkwo was the unlikeliest person to win the teaching award, being new and short on experience.

unlikeliest + person + to-infinitive — improbable candidate for a role

Common collocations
  • the unlikeliest winner
  • the unlikeliest candidate
  • the unlikeliest outcome
  • the unlikeliest person to + verb
  • the unlikeliest of + plural noun
Synonyms
  • most improbable

    the standard alternative form; 'most improbable' is more formal than 'unlikeliest'

  • least plausible

    focuses on the argument or explanation seeming reasonable, rather than a general event

  • most doubtful

    emphasises a lack of confidence rather than pure probability

Antonyms
  • likeliest

    the direct opposite — having the greatest chance

  • most probable

    formal opposite; the most likely to happen or be true

Grammar Patterns

the unlikeliest + noun

the unlikeliest + noun + to-infinitive

the unlikeliest of + plural noun

Usage Note

Always used with 'the' because it is a superlative form. The basic positive form is 'unlikely'. The comparative is 'unlikelier'. When comparing more than two items, 'unlikeliest' is the natural superlative, though 'least likely' is also common and may sound more natural in formal writing.

Common Mistakes

This was unlikeliest mistake I have ever made.
This was the unlikeliest mistake I have ever made.
Superlative adjectives in English always require 'the'.
Of the two plans, the first is the unlikeliest to work.
Of the two plans, the first is the unlikelier to work.
For comparing two items, use the comparative 'unlikelier', not the superlative 'unlikeliest'.

2. The most surprising and unusual in a way that does not match what people would n

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

The most surprising and unusual in a way that does not match what people would normally expect in a particular setting or situation.

Example

The couple formed the unlikeliest friendship with their neighbour, a retired circus performer who kept three parrots.

unlikeliest friendship — an unexpected bond in an unusual pairing

Mei-Lin made the unlikeliest discovery while cleaning her grandmother's wardrobe: a letter from a famous poet.

Common collocations
  • the unlikeliest friendship
  • the unlikeliest discovery
  • the unlikeliest attraction
  • the unlikeliest success story
  • the unlikeliest team
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • most predictable

    the opposite of surprising — exactly what one would expect

  • most typical

    the opposite of unusual — fitting the expected pattern

Grammar Patterns

the unlikeliest + noun

the unlikeliest of + plural noun

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 (MOST IMPROBABLE): sense 1 is about low probability of an event occurring; sense 2 is about something that actually happened but contradicts what one would normally expect based on the context. The focus is on surprise and contradiction, not on chance. Diagnostic test: if 'least probable' fits naturally, use sense 1. If 'most surprising' or 'most unexpected' reads more naturally than 'least probable', use sense 2.

Common Mistakes

He was the unlikeliest person to win (meaning he was surprising but actually won).
Use sense 2 for a real surprising outcome. Sense 1 is about low probability, which may or may not have actually happened.

3. The most difficult to believe or accept as true — used about a story, claim, exc

3.adjectiveC1
Definition

The most difficult to believe or accept as true — used about a story, claim, excuse, or explanation that sounds extremely doubtful or dishonest.

Example

Of all the excuses, Amina's was the unlikeliest: her cat had learned to lock the front door.

unlikeliest excuse — an implausible explanation

The unlikeliest part of the film was not the time travel but the hero forgetting his own wedding.

Common collocations
  • the unlikeliest story
  • the unlikeliest excuse
  • the unlikeliest claim
  • the unlikeliest explanation
  • the unlikeliest part of + noun
Synonyms
  • most far-fetched

    stronger, more informal — suggests the story is exaggerated to the point of absurdity

  • most implausible

    more formal; used when an argument or explanation lacks logical reasonableness

  • most incredible

    can mean 'amazing' as well as 'hard to believe', so context-dependent

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the unlikeliest + noun (story, claim, excuse, explanation)

the unlikeliest + noun about + noun phrase

Usage Note

This sense is about the perceived truthfulness of a statement or claim, not about the probability of an event. A story can be 'unlikeliest' in this sense even if the events it describes are technically possible — the focus is on whether the listener finds it credible. Diagnostic test: sense 1 asks 'how likely was it to happen?'; sense 3 asks 'how believable does the claim sound?'. If the sentence sounds odd with 'least probable' substituted, it is likely sense 3.

Common Mistakes

This is the unlikeliest weather for July.' (meaning unexpected weather).
This is the most unusual weather for July.
For weather, use sense 2 (MOST UNEXPECTED) rather than sense 3 (LEAST BELIEVABLE), since weather is a fact, not a claim.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four superlative expressions describe something with very little chance of being true or happening, but they differ in nuance. 'Most improbable' is the most neutral and formal alternative to 'unlikeliest' — it simply states low probability without emotional colour. 'Most far-fetched' adds a subjective, slightly informal judgment that a story or idea stretches credibility (e.g. 'Her explanation about the dog eating the homework was the most far-fetched thing I have ever heard'). 'Most doubtful' focuses on the speaker's lack of confidence: you might say a plan is 'the most doubtful' if you think it will fail, even if the probability is not strictly calculable. 'Least plausible' is more analytical — it judges whether an argument or scenario makes logical sense. For example: 'Of all the scientific theories proposed, his was the least plausible.' In everyday use, 'unlikeliest' and 'most improbable' are interchangeable in most contexts, but 'unlikeliest' sounds slightly more natural in speech.

most improbable ↗most far-fetchedmost doubtful ↗least plausible

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the unlikeliest of all
  • the unlikeliest of the bunch
  • the unlikeliest of places

Prepositions

  • of (the unlikeliest of the group, the unlikeliest of all)

Etymology

Old NorseMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed by adding the superlative suffix '-est' to the adjective 'unlikely'. 'Unlikely' itself is a combination of the prefix 'un-' (meaning 'not') and 'likely', which comes from Old Norse 'līkligr' (probable, seeming right), itself derived from 'līkr' (like, similar). The word entered English in the 14th century and developed its superlative form 'unlikeliest' by the 16th century, following the regular pattern for adjectives ending in -y.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1