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Glite Dictionary
mayhap

mayhap

9.9
People use it to say maybe in old or poetic language
  • adverb
  • /ˈmeɪˌhæp/
  • Archaic
translation icon : quizás
  • Mayhap he will return before nightfall, but no one can be certain.

Examples

  • The old book whispered secrets, mayhap remembered only by the wind.

  • She looked out the window, thinking mayhap it would rain before morning.

  • He will arrive late, mayhap around six o'clock.

  • Perhaps, mayhap, we should reconsider our plans.

  • The knight mayhap found a hidden treasure during his travels.

  • In this great adventure, she mayhap discovered more about herself than anyone else.

  • The answer to the riddle is mayhap hidden within the clues provided.

Synonyms

maybe
vsmayhap
∞ 1.0

It might happen or be true

is more archaic and literary not casual modern expression
perhaps
vsmayhap
∞ 1.0

To say something might be true

is more archaic and literary rather than current everyday speech
possibly
vsmayhap
∞ 1.0

May happen or be true and sometimes makes a request more polite

carries older literary tone and sense of chance rather than neutral use
haply
vsmayhap
  • Archaic
1 9.9

In a way that happens by chance and not by plan

focuses on possibility with similar archaic literary implication
peradventure
vsmayhap
  • Archaic
9.9

Says that something might happen by chance

has the same meaning but is an older literary form
perchance
vsmayhap
  • Archaic
9.9

Maybe in older or more formal writing

shares that old literary feel rather than modern everyday use
mayhaps
vsmayhap
  • Archaic
9.9

Said when you are not sure about something, often in old-fashioned language

matches that old style but often appears in playful speech
percase
vsmayhap
  • Archaic
9.9

To show that something might happen

matches the same meaning but is rarer in recorded use

Antonyms

certainly
∞ 1.0

Showing that something is true or will happen without any doubt

How Certain

definitely
∞ 1.0
probably
∞ 1.0
mayhap
  • Archaic
9.9
conceivably
41 5.3

Surface Forms

mayhap positive

Morphology

mayhap = may + hap (semi-transparent) = may + hap

Formed from 'may' + 'hap' so the idea 'may happen' is visible, but 'hap' is archaic and many learners won't know it, making the construction only partly transparent.

Etymology

The word mayhap combines may ('might') and hap ('chance' or 'luck'), so it is like saying 'might by chance'. You can see the same hap in words like happen and perhaps, which is why mayhap means 'perhaps' or 'possibly'.