Improbable
[ɪm'prɒbəb(ə)l] or [ɪm'prɑbəbl]
Definition
(adj.) too improbable to admit of belief; 'a tall story' .
(adj.) not likely to be true or to occur or to have occurred; 'legislation on the question is highly unlikely'; 'an improbable event' .
(adj.) having a probability too low to inspire belief .
Checker: Rudolph--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) Not probable; unlikely to be true; not to be expected under the circumstances or in the usual course of events; as, an improbable story or event.
Typed by Beryl
Synonyms and Synonymous
a. Unlikely, not probable.
Editor: Matt
Definition
adj. unlikely.—n. Improbabil′ity.—adv. Improb′ably.
Inputed by Franklin
Examples
- It was a painful, but not an improbable, conjecture. Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice.
- It's not improbable. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- There is sometimes an odd disposition in this country to dispute as improbable in fiction, what are the commonest experiences in fact. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- That is the case as it appears to the police, and improbable as it is, all other explanations are more improbable still. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
- It is improbable that either Porto Rico or the Philippines will become states in the Union. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- It looks too improbable. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- Is there not one alternative, I suggested, grotesquely improbable, no doubt, but still just conceivable? Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
- There were even rumours that he had left New York with Fanny Ring; but Mrs. Beaufort's attitude made the report seem improbable. Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence.
- I would not go so far as to say it is impossible, said Caliphronas, with a sneer, but I agree with you that it is improbable. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- It seems improbable then that he is not connected with them, remarked the captain; possibly a member of this tribe. Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
- For the greater part of the night, I sat smoking, and building up theories, one more profoundly improbable than another. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- Now, Jo's improbable story concerning the lady and the sovereign has awakened more or less the curiosity of all the company. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- It is improbable that these men had yet learnt the rather unnatural use of animal's milk as food. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- It is not improbable that Anne Catherick may speak more readily and unreservedly to a woman than she has spoken to me. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- Do you see anything improbable, or contradictory, in his explanation? Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
Checked by Harriet