different between improbable vs unthinkable

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French improbable, from im- +? probable.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?m?p??b?bl?/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?m?p??b?bl?/
• Hyphenation: im?prob?a?ble

Adjective

improbable (comparative more improbable, superlative most improbable)

1. Not likely to be true.

2. Not likely to happen.

Antonyms

• probable

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

See also

• impossible

Catalan

Adjective

improbable (masculine and feminine plural improbables)

1. improbable, unlikely

   Antonym: probable

Derived terms

• improbablement

Related terms

• improbabilitat

Further reading

• “improbable” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “improbable” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “improbable” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “improbable” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

French

Etymology

From im- +? probable.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??.p??.babl/

Adjective

improbable (plural improbables)

1. unlikely, improbable (not likely)

   Synonym: peu probable

Further reading

• “improbable” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Galician

Alternative forms

• improbábel

Adjective

improbable m or f (plural improbables)

1. improbable (not likely to happen)

   Antonym: probable

Derived terms

• improbabilidade

Further reading

• “improbable” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

Spanish

Adjective

improbable (plural improbables)

1. improbable, unlikely

   Antonym: probable

Derived terms

Further reading

• “improbable” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

English

Etymology

un- +? think +? -able

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?n????k?b?l/

Adjective

unthinkable (comparative more unthinkable, superlative most unthinkable)

1. Incapable of being believed; incredible.
2. Inconceivable or unimaginable; extremely improbable in a way that goes against common sense.

   Nothing is unthinkable, nothing impossible to the balanced person, provided it comes out of the needs of life and is dedicated to life's further development - Lewis Mumford

Translations

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “unthinkable”, in Online Etymology Dictionary