likelihood
Plurallikelihoods
- 1The chance that something will happen.
Like guessing how often a tossed coin will land on heads.
There's a high likelihood of rain tomorrow afternoon.
Wearing a helmet lowers your likelihood of a serious head injury.
Similarprobability, chance, odds, possibility, prospect
Oppositeimprobability
Note
- 2A number showing how well a chosen value fits the data you already have.
Like trying several keys in a lock to see which one fits best.
The computer picks the value with the highest likelihood.
A bigger likelihood means the guess matches the data better.
Note
- 3The quality of being like something else, or how much two things are alike.
Similarresemblance, similarity, likeness
Oppositedifference, dissimilarity
Note
Less common meaning
- 4An outward sign or look that points to something.
Like how heavy gray clouds give a sign that rain is on the way.
The young soldier showed every likelihood of courage.
The dark sky had the likelihood of a coming storm.
Note
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of likelihood apart? Answer 2 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
From Middle English liklihode. It comes from 'likely' plus '-hood'.