Worthy of belief; probable; credible; as, a likely story. It seems likely that he was in hope of being busy and conspicuous. Johnson.
Having probability; having or giving reason to expect; -- followed by the infinitive; as, it is likely to rain.
Similar; like; alike. [Obs.] Spenser.
Such as suits; good-looking; pleasing; agreeable; handsome. Shak. Milton.
Having such qualities as make success probable; well adapted to the place; promising; as, a likely young man; a likely servant.
In all probability; probably. While man was innocent he was likely ignorant of nothing that imported him to know. Glanvill.
98,828 entries. Headwords are matched first, then definition text.