likely

• IPA^(key): /ˈlaɪkli/

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From Middle English likely, likly, lykly, likliche, from Old English ġelīclīċ (“likely”) and Old Norse líkligr (“likely”), both from Proto-Germanic *līkalīkaz, equivalent to like +‎ -ly.

likely (comparative likelier or more likely, superlative likeliest or most likely)

1. probable; having a greater-than-even chance of occurring

   Rain is likely later this afternoon.

2. (as predicate, followed by to and infinitive) Reasonably to be expected; apparently destined, probable

   They are likely to become angry with him.

   He is likely to succeed at anything he tries.

   • 2013 April 9, Andrei Lankov, “Stay Cool. Call North Korea’s Bluff.”, in New York Times‎:

     People who talk about an imminent possibility of war seldom pose this question: What would North Korea’s leadership get from unleashing a war that they are likely to lose in weeks, if not days?

   • 2011 November 3, Chris Bevan, “Rubin Kazan 1 - 0 Tottenham”, in BBC Sport‎:

     In truth, Tottenham never really looked like taking all three points and this defeat means they face a battle to reach the knockout stages - with their next home game against PAOK Salonika on 30 November likely to prove decisive.

3. appropriate, suitable; believable; having a good potential

   Jones is a likely candidate for management.

4. plausible; within the realm of credibility

   not a very likely excuse.

   • 2011 December 19, Kerry Brown, “Kim Jong-il obituary”, in The Guardian‎:

     The DPRK propagated an extraordinary tale of his birth occurring on Mount Baekdu, one of Korea's most revered sites, being accompanied by shooting stars in the sky. It is more likely that he was born in a small village in the USSR, while his father was serving as a Soviet-backed general during the second world war.

5. promising; apt to achieve success or yield a desired outcome

   a likely topic for investigation.

6. attractive; pleasant

   found a likely spot under a shady tree for the picnic.

7. (obsolete) Similar; like; alike.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Edmund Spenser to this entry?)

• likely lad

• (as predicate, followed by "to" and infinitive): liable

likely (plural likelies)

1. Something or somebody considered likely.

From Middle English likely, likly, lykly, likliche, from Old English ġelīclīċe (“equally”) and Old Norse líkliga, glíkliga (“likely”), both from Proto-Germanic *līkalīka, equivalent to like +‎ -ly.

likely (comparative more likely, superlative most likely) (US)

1. (obsolete) Similarly.
2. Probably.

   Likely he’ll win the election in this economy.

   • 2018 February, Robert Draper, “They are Watching You—and Everything Else on the Planet: Technology and Our Increasing Demand for Security have Put Us All under Surveillance. Is Privacy Becoming just a Memory?”, in National Geographic‎, Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, ISSN 0027-9358, OCLC 1049714034, archived from the original on 14 June 2018:

     Dismounting on the sidewalk, their helmets still on, they fall into a lengthy conversation. Their dialogue is known only to them. But there is something the men themselves likely don’t know: About a mile away, from a windowless room, two other men are watching them.

• The adverb is a US usage and does not appear in British English except under direct influence of US practice.
• As an adverb, likely is often preceded by a modifier such as most or quite.
• Some usage guides consider adverbial likely - instead of probably - to be poor style and an artificial, sometimes pretentious way to imply a sense of erudition. One can also opt for the somewhat rarer adverbial form likelily.

• Ilkley, Killey