probable

EnglishEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Middle English probable, from Old French probable, from Latin probābilis (“that may be proved, credible”), from probāre (“to test, examine”); see probe, prove. Compare recent doublet provable.

PronunciationEdit

(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɑbəbl̩/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɒbəbl̩/
Audio (US) (file)
Hyphenation: prob‧a‧ble

AdjectiveEdit

probable (comparative more probable, superlative most probable)

Likely or most likely to be true.
It's probable that it will rain tomorrow.

The probable source of the failure was the mass of feathers in the intake manifold.
Likely to happen.
With all the support we have, success is looking probable.
Supporting, or giving ground for, belief, but not demonstrating.
- 1765–1769, William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, (please specify |book=I to IV), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC:
  probable evidence
- 1890, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 2, page 8:
  From an examination of the Teutonic words for "temple" Grimm has made it probable that amongst the Germans the oldest sanctuaries were natural woods.
(obsolete) Capable of being proved.

AntonymsEdit

improbable

Related termsEdit

TranslationsEdit

likely to be true

Armenian: հավանական (havanakan)
Asturian: probable
Belarusian: праўдападо́бны (praŭdapadóbny), вераго́дны (vjerahódny)
Bulgarian: правдоподо́бен (pravdopodóben), вероя́тен (verojáten)
Catalan: probable
Chinese:
Mandarin: 可能 (zh) (kěnéng)
Czech: pravděpodobný m
Esperanto: probabla, verŝajna
Estonian: tõenäoline
Finnish: todennäköinen, luultava
French: probable
Galician: probable, probábel
Georgian: შესაძლო (šesaʒlo), სავარაუდო (savaraudo)
German: glaubhaft, wahrscheinlich
Greek: πιθανός (pithanós)
Hebrew: סביר‎ m (savir)
Hungarian: valószínű
Ido: probabla
Irish: is dóigh
Italian: probabile
Japanese: 起こりそうな (okorisō na), 高確率の (kōkakuritsu no)
Latin: probabilis
Latvian: ticams, iespējams
Norwegian:
Bokmål: sannsynlig

Nynorsk: sannsynleg
Occitan: probable
Polish: prawdopodobny
Portuguese: provável
Romanian: probabil m or n
Russian: правдоподо́бный (pravdopodóbnyj), вероя́тный (verojátnyj)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: вероватан, вјероватан, веројатан, вјеројатан

Roman: verovatan (sh), vjerovatan, verojatan, vjerojatan (sh)
Slovak: pravdepodobný
Slovene: verjeten
Spanish: probable
Ukrainian: правдоподі́бний (pravdopodíbnyj), імові́рний (imovírnyj) / ймові́рний (jmovírnyj)
Volapük: luveratik

likely to happen

Armenian: հավանական (havanakan)
Asturian: probable
Belarusian: вераго́дны (vjerahódny)
Catalan: probable
Chinese:
Mandarin: 可能 (zh) (kěnéng)
Esperanto: probabla, verŝajna
Finnish: todennäköinen
French: probable
Galician: probable, probábel
German: wahrscheinlich
Greek: πιθανός (pithanós), ενδεχόμενος (endechómenos)
Hungarian: valószínű
Japanese: 起こりそうな (okorisō na), 高確率の (kōkakuritsu no)
Latin: probabilis
Norwegian:
Bokmål: sannsynlig

Nynorsk: sannsynleg
Occitan: probable
Portuguese: provável
Russian: вероя́тный (verojátnyj)
Spanish: probable
Ukrainian: імові́рний (imovírnyj) / ймові́рний (jmovírnyj)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Dutch: ^{(please verify)} waarschijnlijk (1,2,3)

NounEdit

probable (plural probables)

Something that is likely.
- 2013, Ikuhiko Hata, Yasuho Izawa, Christopher Shores, Japanese Naval Fighter Aces 1932-45 (page 57)
  Four of the 32 251 Ku aircraft turned back, but the other 28 fought for 20 minutes against a reported 100 enemy aircraft, claiming 18 destroyed and five probables.
A person who is likely to appear or do a certain thing.