| 单词 | thesaurus/articles/chance-of-something-happening |
| 释义 | Thesaurus article:the chance of something happeningthe chance of something happeningThese words are used to talk about how likely something is to happen. One of the most common words to describe this ischance.Chanceis used in phrases likea slight chanceora good chanceto describe the level of how likely it is that something will or won't happen. Whenchanceis used in the plural, it is usually not modified by an adjective. There's a good chance he'll resign. What are the chances she'll show up late? Any chance I can borrow a pen? He didn't stand a chance of winning. Probabilityis, likechance, used to describe the level of how likely it is that something will happen.Probabilitycomes from mathematics, so it is more technical and more formal thanchance. It is used more to describe things that might happen instead of things that might not happen. What's the probability of winning? There's a high probability of us having moved house by then. The opposite ofprobabilityisimprobability.Improbability, likeprobability, can be used in more technical settings, and it is slightly more formal thanprobability. What you're suggesting is a mathematical improbability. I had to laugh at the improbability of our situation. You can also talk about theoddsof something happening.Oddsis sometimes used to express the chance that something will happen using numbers.Oddsis always used in the plural. What are the odds that she takes him back? The odds of being struck by lightning are 1 in 700,000(= one out of every 700,000 people has the chance of being struck by lightning). In contexts where numbers are not important, you can also talk about thelikelihoodof something happening.Likelihoodis used to talk in very general terms about whether there is a chance that something will happen or not. The treaty increases the likelihood that the cease-fire will hold. There's every likelihood that he'll graduate university on time. There's very little likelihood that the publisher will publish your book. If there is apossibilityof something happening, it may happen or it may not.Possibilityhas the broadest meaning of all these words. There's a distinct possibility I won't be able to make it to the pub tonight. There's a possibility that my flight will be delayed. The opposite ofpossibilityisimpossibility.Impossibilityis much less common thanpossibility. What you're requesting is an impossibility - it can't be done. They finally dealt with the impossibility of being married yet living on separate continents. Prospectis used to describe the chance that something good will happen in the future, or the idea that something good might happen. When used in the plural,prospectsrefers specifically to the chance that someone succeeds in doing something positive. Bothprospectandprospectsare slightly more formal thanchance. Is there any prospect of the weather improving? The prospect that she will write another novel fills me with joy. His prospects for getting signed to a team are good. Related articlesa chance to do something |
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