likely

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈlaɪkli/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈlaɪkli/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(līklē)

Inflections of 'likely' (adj):
likelier
adj comparative
likeliest
adj superlative
WordReference Collins English Usage © 2026
likely
used as an adjective
Likely is usually an adjective. You say, for example, that something is likely to happen.
These services are likely to be available to us all before long.
You can also say that it is likely that something will happen.
It is likely that his symptoms will disappear without treatment.
If this is your first baby, it's far more likely that you'll get to the hospital too early.
used as an adverb
In conversation and in informal writing, likely is sometimes an adverb with most, more than, or very in front of it, or as part of the phrase more likely than not. Don't use it as an adverb on its own.
Profits will most likely have risen by about $25 million.
More than likely, the cause of her illness is stress.
More likely than not they would kill him if they found out who he really was.
'likely' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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