improbable
/ɪmˈprɒbəb(ə)l
/adjective
1Not likely to be true or to happen: this account of events was seen by the jury as most improbable...
- No flight of fancy was too improbable, no wild accusation too unlikely.
- Well, it's a theory, an improbable one, but harmless fun to contemplate.
- What follows in the film is one improbable set-up after another, until it ends with the most ludicrous ending ever.
Synonyms
unlikely, not likely, doubtful, dubious, debatable, questionable, uncertain;
difficult to believe, implausible, far-fetched, fanciful;
unthinkable, inconceivable, unimaginable, unimagined, incredible
1.1Unexpected and apparently inauthentic: the characters have improbable names...
- A chap by the improbable name of Monty Nebinger emails to offer his services.
- I have a neat piece of software with the improbable name of Delicious Library.
- The trainer of the Queen's pigeons, an East Anglian with the improbable name of Carlo Napolitano, was at Sun City.
Synonyms
inauthentic, unconvincing, unbelievable, incredible, ridiculous, absurd, preposterous;
contrived, laboured, strained, forced
informal hard to swallow
Origin
Late 16th century: from French, or from Latin improbabilis 'hard to prove', from in- 'not' + probabilis (see probable).
- long service leave
- long-serving
- Longshan
- longship
- longshore
- longshore drift
- longshoreman
- long shot
- long sight
- long-sighted
- long-sightedly
- long-sightedness
- long-sleeved
- long-sleever
- longspur
- long-standing
- long-stay
- Long, Stephen Harriman
- longstop
- Longstreet, James
- long-suffering
- long-sufferingly
- long suit
- long tail
- long-tailed duck