IMPROBABLE


Meaning of IMPROBABLE in English

/ ɪmˈprɒbəbl; NAmE -ˈprɑːb-/ adjective

1.

improbable (that ... ) not likely to be true or to happen

SYN unlikely :

an improbable story

It seems improbable that the current situation will continue.

It all sounded highly improbable .

OPP probable

2.

seeming strange because it is not what you would expect

SYN unexpected :

Her hair was an improbable shade of yellow.

►  im·prob·abil·ity / ɪmˌprɒbəˈbɪləti; NAmE -ˌprɑːbə-/ noun [ U , C ]:

the improbability of finding them alive

statistical improbability

►  im·prob·ably / -əbli; NAmE / adverb :

He claimed, improbably, that he had never been there.

an improbably happy end

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WORD ORIGIN

late 16th cent.: from French , or from Latin improbabilis hard to prove, from in- not + probabilis , from probare to test, demonstrate.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.