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improbableness

improbableness

9.4
The state of being unlikely to happen or be true
  • noun
  • /ɪmˈprɑːbəblnəs/
translation icon : improbabilidad
  • The sheer improbableness of the story made it difficult for anyone to believe.

Examples

  • The improbableness of his survival was astonishing!

  • She was fascinated by the improbableness of winning against such overwhelming odds.

  • Scientists questioned the improbableness of two such rare events occurring together.

  • Can you believe the improbableness of that story?

  • The sheer improbableness of the story made it difficult for anyone to believe.

  • Scientists questioned the improbableness of two such rare events occurring together.

  • She was fascinated by the improbableness of winning against such overwhelming odds.

Synonyms

improbability
vsimprobableness
4 7.0

How unlikely something is to happen or be true

is the same meaning expressed as a different noun form
implausibility
vsimprobableness
2 8.2

A situation when a story or excuse does not seem true

is about unlikely chance rather than doubt about belief or credibility
unlikelihood
vsimprobableness
1 6.9

Not likely to happen or be true

is the same meaning but expresses it with a different word form
unlikeliness
vsimprobableness
1 5.6

A low chance that something will happen

is a synonym differing only in ordinary word shape rather than meaning
incredibility
vsimprobableness
1 8.8

A feeling of not believing something because it seems unlikely

is milder, focusing on mere unlikelihood, not impossibility of belief
implausibleness
vsimprobableness
8.5

A quality that makes people doubt something because it seems untrue

is about being unlikely to happen rather than just hard to believe
unbelievability
vsimprobableness
7.0

The quality of being impossible to accept as true

is softer, meaning unlikely rather than nearly impossible to accept

Antonyms

473 3.6

The chance that something will happen, often shown as a number or percent

How Likely

certainty
  • Literature
202 3.4
likelihood
274 3.6
possibility
2.0
improbableness
9.4

Surface Forms

Morphology

improbableness = improbable (transparent) = im + probable + ness

Derived by adding the noun-forming suffix '-ness' to the adjective 'improbable', a standard and regular nominalization.

Etymology

Improbableness starts with im- meaning 'not' and the rest comes from probable, a word related to probability and a root that meant 'prove' or 'likely'. So improbableness is the quality of being 'not likely' to happen.