improbable

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French improbable, from im- +‎ probable.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɹɑbəbl̩/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɹɒbəbl̩/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: im‧prob‧a‧ble

Adjective

improbable (comparative more improbable, superlative most improbable)

1. Not likely to be true.

   It's highly improbable that aliens abducted you.

   • 1674, [Richard Allestree], “Of Positiveness”, in The Government of the Tongue. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: At the Theater, →OCLC, page 197:

     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.

2. Not likely to happen.

   Due to the loss of power, it is improbable that we will begin on time.

Antonyms

• probable

Derived terms

• improbability
• improbably
• statistically improbable phrase

 

Related terms

• probability
• probably

 

Translations

not likely to be true

• Armenian: անհավանական (hy) (anhavanakan)
• Belarusian: непраўдападо́бны (njepraŭdapadóbny)
• Bulgarian: неправдоподо́бен (bg) (nepravdopodóben)
• Catalan: improbable (ca)
• Czech: nepravděpodobný
• Dutch: onwaarschijnlijk (nl)
• Finnish: epätodennäköinen (fi)
• French: invraisemblable (fr)
• Georgian: არასარწმუნო (arasarc̣muno), წარმოუდგენელი (c̣armoudgeneli), არადამაჯერებელი (aradamaǯerebeli), დაუჯერებელი (dauǯerebeli), დამაჯერებლობას მოკლებული (damaǯereblobas moḳlebuli), ნაკლებად შესაძლებელი (naḳlebad šesaʒlebeli), ნაკლებად სავარაუდო (naḳlebad savaraudo)
• German: unwahrscheinlich (de)
• Greek: απίθανος (el) (apíthanos)
• Hungarian: valószínűtlen (hu)
• Japanese: 疑わしい (ja) (utagawashii), 低確率の (teikakuritsu no)
• Polish: nieprawdopododny
• Portuguese: improvável (pt)
• Romanian: improbabil (ro)
• Russian: неправдоподо́бный (ru) (nepravdopodóbnyj)
• Slovak: nepravdepodobný
• Spanish: improbable (es), inverosímil (es)
• Swedish: osannolik (sv)
• Ukrainian: неправдоподі́бний (nepravdopodíbnyj)

not likely to happen

• Armenian: անհավանական (hy) (anhavanakan)
• Belarusian: невераго́дны (be) (njevjerahódny)
• Bulgarian: невероя́тен (bg) (neverojáten)
• Danish: usandsynlig
• Dutch: onwaarschijnlijk (nl)
• Finnish: epätodennäköinen (fi)
• French: improbable (fr)
• Galician: improbable (gl)
• German: unwahrscheinlich (de)
• Greek: απίθανος (el) (apíthanos)
• Hungarian: valószínűtlen (hu)
• Japanese: 疑わしい (ja) (utagawashii), 低確率の (teikakuritsu no)
• Portuguese: improvável (pt)
• Russian: невероя́тный (ru) (neverojátnyj)
• Spanish: improbable (es)
• Swedish: osannolik (sv), föga troligt
• Ukrainian: неймові́рний (nejmovírnyj)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Irish: ^{(please verify)} andóch
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} improbabile (it)

See also

• impossible

Catalan

Adjective

improbable m or f (masculine and feminine plural improbables)

1. improbable, unlikely

   Antonym: probable

Derived terms

• improbablement

Related terms

• improbabilitat

Further reading

• “improbable” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “improbable”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “improbable” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “improbable” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

French

Etymology

From im- +‎ probable.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃.pʁɔ.babl/

• Audio (Canada):

  (file)

Adjective

improbable (plural improbables)

1. unlikely, improbable (not likely)

   Synonym: peu probable

Further reading

• “improbable”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Galician

Alternative forms

• improvável (reintegrationist)
• improbábel

Adjective

improbable m or f (plural improbables)

1. improbable (not likely to happen)

   Antonym: probable

Derived terms

• improbabilidade

Further reading

• “improbable”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2024

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /impɾoˈbable/ [ĩm.pɾoˈβ̞a.β̞le]
• Rhymes: -able
• Syllabification: im‧pro‧ba‧ble

Adjective

improbable m or f (masculine and feminine plural improbables)

1. improbable, unlikely

   Antonym: probable

Derived terms

• improbabilidad
• improbablemente

 

Further reading

• “improbable”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28