likely

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈlaɪ.kli/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English likli, probably borrowed from Old Norse líkligr (“likely”) (also glíkligr),^[2][3][4][5] formed from líkr (“like”) and -ligr (“-ly”).^[4][6] Old English had the cognate gelīclīc (“fitting”),^[2][3][7] from which Barnhart and Merriam-Webster also derive it.^[3][8] It is related to like and likelihood.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Probable, likely to happen, as a predicate with an infinitive: before 1300;^[10] Etymonline gives “having the appearance of truth” from about 1300,^[2] and Barnhart's first example is before 1325, in Cursor Mundi.^[3]

Semantic evolution

“Probable” is from the late 14th century,^[2][10] and the OED notes that it is now chiefly American.^[2] “Apparently suitable or qualified” is from about 1375,^[10] and of young people “promising” from 1454, now chiefly American.^[10][2] “Good-looking”, perhaps influenced by like, “to please”, is from the late 15th century.^[2][10] “Resembling, similar” is recorded about 1400.^[10] The adverb, “probably”, is from the late 14th century.^[2][3] Bartlett's Dictionary of Americanisms gives the colloquial American sense “respectable, worthy of esteem”.^[2]

Timeline

• before 1300 – probable.^[10]
• c. 1375 – suitable, qualified.^[10]
• c. 1378 – adverb, probably.^[3]
• c. 1400 – similar.^[10]
• 1454 – promising.^[10]
• late 15th century – good-looking.^[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Having the qualities that make something probable: likely to rain.
2. Believable, plausible.
3. Apparently suitable.
4. Promising success.
5. (dialect, US) Attractive, good-looking.

Adverb

1. Probably.

Word family

• likelihood
• unlikely

Related words

• like
• liken

Usage notes

The American Heritage Dictionary notes that the adverb likely is usually preceded by very or quite, but that its unmodified use, though perhaps best avoided in very formal style, is not incorrect.^[11] In Scotland, Ireland and England likely meant “promising, good-looking”.^[12]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
8. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
9. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
11. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
12. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)