Likelyandunlikely

Likelyandunlikelyare adjectives. We use them to say that something will probably happen or not happen in the future. We can use them before a noun, or with the verbsbe, seemandappear:

What is the mostlikelyoutcome of the referendum?

It seemsunlikelythat inflation will fall below 3% this year.

We can followlikelyorunlikelyby a verb in theto-infinitive form:

The economy islikelyto recover slowly after the long recession.

Are youlikelyto want this cardboard box or shall I throw it out?

The weather seemsunlikelyto change over the next few days.

Instead ofunlikely, we can saynot likely:

Zoe’snot likelyto arrive before eight o’clock. She doesn’t finish work till seven.

We can also followlikelyandunlikelyby athat-clause withwill. This pattern is less common thanlikely/unlikely + to-infinitive:

It islikelythat there will be a general election next year.orThere islikelyto be a general election next year.

It seemsunlikelythat space travel for ordinary people will become common in the near future.

We can use adverbs such asvery,quite,highlyandextremelybeforelikelyandunlikelyto make their meaning stronger:

The government isvery likelyto propose changes to the income tax system soon.

I think it’shighly unlikelythat she’ll get into university with the test scores she has.

We can compare how probable different things are usinglikelyandunlikelywithas … as,more, (the) most, lessand(the) least:

Steve isas likelyto get the jobasDora. They’re both very well qualified.

People aremore likelyto take climate change seriously if they can understand the economic consequences for their own lives.

Kevin is(the) least likelyto want to get married of all his friends.

In American English, and more and more in British English,likelyis used as a mid-position adverb (likeprobablyin British English), most commonly betweenwilland a main verb:

The new regulationswill likelyresult in many people losing their jobs.