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probable

adjective · noun

Simple meaning

Likely but not certain to be or become true or real.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

prahbuhbuhl

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɹɑbəbəl

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

  1. Likely but not certain to be or become true or real

  2. Likely or most likely to be true.

  3. Likely to happen.

  4. Supporting, or giving ground for, belief, but not demonstrating.

noun

  1. An applicant likely to be chosen

  2. A person who is likely to appear or do a certain thing.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Likely but not certain to be or become true or real

Used this way, probable is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

  • verisimilar , rarer, so it draws attention

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use probable

  • “It is probable that we will have rain later this afternoon.”

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

probable errorhighly probableless probableprobable futureprobable explanationprobable effectprobable resultprobable value

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • probationnounDerived noun

    A trial period during which your character and abilities are tested to see whether you are suitable for work or for membership.

  • probablyadverbDerived adverb

    With considerable certainty.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • probable causenounCompound term

    Evidence sufficient to warrant an arrest or search and seizure.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: likely but not certain to be or become true

verisimilarRareplausible

Antonyms

Sense: likely but not certain to be or become true

improbable

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.