unlikelihood

/ʌnˈlaɪklihʊd/ (bre, ipa) · /ʌnˈlaɪklihʊd/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌən-ˈlī-klē-ˌhu̇d/ (ame, mw)

unlikelihood — noun

1. a very small chance that something will happen, or that an idea will prove corre

1.名詞C1
釋義

a very small chance that something will happen, or that an idea will prove correct.

例句

Everyone laughed at the unlikelihood of Uncle Farid winning the city marathon.

pattern: the unlikelihood of + gerund

Police noted the unlikelihood that both windows broke at exactly the same time.

pattern: the unlikelihood that + clause

同義詞
  • improbability

    more formal and common in academic or technical writing

  • implausibility

    focuses more on whether something seems believable than on the chance of it happening

反義詞
  • likelihood

    neutral word for the chance that something will happen

  • probability

    often used in more formal or mathematical contexts

文法句型

the unlikelihood of + noun/gerund

the unlikelihood that + clause

用法筆記

Most often used with the and followed by of or that. It usually stresses doubt or surprise, while likelihood is a more neutral word for the chance of something happening.

常見錯誤

❌There is an unlikelihood it will rain.
✅There is little likelihood that it will rain.
💡unlikelihood is usually used in the pattern 'the unlikelihood of/that', not as a simple substitute for likelihood in every sentence.