Standard Lemma guide

probable

adj · noun · 9 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: /ˈpɹɒbəbl̩/
  • General-American: /ˈpɹɑbəbl̩/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: P R AA1 B AH0 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Likely or most likely to be true.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • It's probable that it will rain tomorrow.
  • The probable source of the failure was the mass of feathers in the intake manifold.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Likely to happen.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • With all the support we have, success is looking probable.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Supporting, or giving ground for, belief, but not demonstrating.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Capable of being proved.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Something that is likely.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A person who is likely to appear or do a certain thing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective

Meaning 7

likely but not certain to be or become true or real

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a likely result
  • he foresaw a probable loss

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: likely

Antonyms: improbable

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

apparently destined

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the probable consequences of going ahead with the scheme

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

an applicant likely to be chosen

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: applicant, applier

History

Etymology

From Middle English probable, from Old French probable, from Latin probābilis (“that may be proved, credible”), from probāre (“to test, examine”); see probe, probity, prove. Compare recent doublet provable.

Across languages

Translations

84 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: հավանական (havanakan) — likely to be true
  • Asturian: probable — likely to be true
  • Belarusian: праўдападо́бны (prawdapadóbny) — likely to be true
  • Belarusian: вераго́дны (vjerahódny) — likely to be true
  • Bulgarian: правдоподо́бен (pravdopodóben) — likely to be true
  • Bulgarian: вероя́тен (verojáten) — likely to be true
  • Catalan: probable — likely to be true
  • Chinese Mandarin: 可能 (kěnéng) — likely to be true
  • Czech: pravděpodobný — likely to be true
  • Esperanto: probabla — likely to be true
  • Esperanto: verŝajna — likely to be true
  • Estonian: tõenäoline — likely to be true
  • Finnish: todennäköinen — likely to be true
  • Finnish: luultava — likely to be true
  • French: probable — likely to be true
  • Galician: probable — likely to be true
  • Galician: probábel — likely to be true
  • Georgian: შესაძლო (šesaʒlo) — likely to be true
  • Georgian: სავარაუდო (savaraudo) — likely to be true
  • German: glaubhaft — likely to be true
  • German: wahrscheinlich — likely to be true
  • Greek: πιθανός (pithanós) — likely to be true
  • Hebrew: סָבִיר (savír) — likely to be true
  • Hindi: संभावना (sambhāvnā) — likely to be true
  • Hindi: संभावित (sambhāvit) — likely to be true
  • Hungarian: valószínű — likely to be true
  • Ido: probabla — likely to be true
  • Irish: is dóigh — likely to be true
  • Italian: probabile — likely to be true
  • Japanese: 起こりそうな (okorisō na) — likely to be true
  • Japanese: 高確率の (kōkakuritsu no) — likely to be true
  • Latin: probabilis — likely to be true
  • Latvian: ticams — likely to be true
  • Latvian: iespējams — likely to be true
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sannsynlig — likely to be true
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: sannsynleg — likely to be true
  • Occitan: probable — likely to be true
  • Polish: prawdopodobny — likely to be true
  • Portuguese: provável — likely to be true
  • Romanian: probabil — likely to be true
  • Russian: правдоподо́бный (pravdopodóbnyj) — likely to be true
  • Russian: вероя́тный (verojátnyj) — likely to be true
  • Serbo-Croatian: вероватан — likely to be true
  • Serbo-Croatian: вјероватан — likely to be true
  • Serbo-Croatian: веројатан — likely to be true
  • Serbo-Croatian: вјеројатан — likely to be true
  • Serbo-Croatian: verovatan — likely to be true
  • Serbo-Croatian: vjerovatan — likely to be true
  • Serbo-Croatian: verojatan — likely to be true
  • Serbo-Croatian: vjerojatan — likely to be true
  • Slovak: pravdepodobný — likely to be true
  • Slovene: verjeten — likely to be true
  • Spanish: probable — likely to be true
  • Ukrainian: правдоподі́бний (pravdopodíbnyj) — likely to be true
  • Ukrainian: імові́рний (imovírnyj) — likely to be true
  • Ukrainian: ймові́рний (jmovírnyj) — likely to be true
  • Volapük: luveratik — likely to be true
  • Armenian: հավանական (havanakan) — likely to happen
  • Asturian: probable — likely to happen
  • Belarusian: вераго́дны (vjerahódny) — likely to happen
  • Catalan: probable — likely to happen
  • Chinese Mandarin: 可能 (kěnéng) — likely to happen
  • Esperanto: probabla — likely to happen
  • Esperanto: verŝajna — likely to happen
  • Finnish: todennäköinen — likely to happen
  • French: probable — likely to happen
  • Galician: probable — likely to happen
  • Galician: probábel — likely to happen
  • German: wahrscheinlich — likely to happen
  • Greek: πιθανός (pithanós) — likely to happen
  • Greek: ενδεχόμενος (endechómenos) — likely to happen
  • Hindi: संभावना (sambhāvnā) — likely to happen
  • Hungarian: valószínű — likely to happen
  • Japanese: 起こりそうな (okorisō na) — likely to happen
  • Japanese: 高確率の (kōkakuritsu no) — likely to happen
  • Latin: probabilis — likely to happen
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sannsynlig — likely to happen
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: sannsynleg — likely to happen
  • Occitan: probable — likely to happen
  • Portuguese: provável — likely to happen
  • Russian: вероя́тный (verojátnyj) — likely to happen
  • Spanish: probable — likely to happen
  • Ukrainian: імові́рний (imovírnyj) — likely to happen
  • Ukrainian: ймові́рний (jmovírnyj) — likely to happen
Real reading context

probable in complete knowledge articles