Standard Lemma guide

improbability

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɪmˌpɹɒb.əˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/
  • General-American: /ɪmˌpɹɑb.əˈbɪl.ə.ti/
  • General-American: [ɪmˌpɹɑb.əˈbɪl.ə.ɾi]
  • General-American: /ɪmˌpɹɑb.əˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/
  • General-American: [ɪmˌpɹɑb.əˈbɪl.ɪ.ɾi]
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪlɪti

1

noun

Meaning 1

The quality or state of being improbable; unlikelihood.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

That which is improbable; an improbable event or result.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the quality of being improbable

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • impossibility should never be confused with improbability
  • the improbability of such rare coincidences

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: improbableness

Antonyms: probability

Broader terms: uncertainty, uncertainness, precariousness

Narrower terms: unlikelihood, unlikeliness

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in-bor. Middle English in- English im- English probability English improbability From im- + probability.

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: невероятност (neverojatnost) — unlikelihood
  • Catalan: improbabilitat — unlikelihood
  • French: improbabilité — unlikelihood
  • Galician: improbabilidade — unlikelihood
  • Hungarian: valószínűtlenség — unlikelihood
  • Irish: neamhdhóchúlacht — unlikelihood
  • Irish: andóigh — unlikelihood
  • Italian: improbabilità — unlikelihood
  • Japanese: 低確率 (teikakuritsu) — unlikelihood
  • Polish: nieprawdopodobieństwo — unlikelihood
  • Portuguese: improbabilidade — unlikelihood
  • Spanish: improbabilidad — unlikelihood
  • Polish: nieprawdopodobieństwo — that which is improbable
  • Spanish: improbabilidad — that which is improbable