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Altogether vs Likely - What's the difference?

altogether | likely |

As adverbs the difference between altogether and likely

is that altogether is without exception; wholly; completely while likely is (obsolete) similarly.

As an adjective likely is

probable; having a greater-than-even chance of occurring.

As a noun likely is

something or somebody considered likely.

altogether

English

Adverb

(-)
  • Without exception; wholly; completely.
  • * 1891 , , The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes , "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches,"
  • Your advice will be altogether invaluable to me.
  • * , chapter=3
  • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=One saint's day in mid-term a certain newly appointed suffragan-bishop came to the school chapel, and there preached on “The Inner Life.”  He at once secured attention by his informal method, and when presently the coughing of Jarvis […] interrupted the sermon, he altogether captivated his audience with a remark about cough lozenges being cheap and easily procurable.}}
  • On the whole; with everything considered.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=November 10, author=Jeremy Wilson
  • , title=tEngland Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report, work=Telegraph citation , passage=A sell-out crowd of 10,000 then observed perfectly a period of silence before the team revealed their black armbands, complete with stitched-in poppies, for the match. After Fifa’s about-turn, it must have been a frantic few days for the England kit manufacturer. The on-field challenge was altogether more straightforward. }}

    Synonyms

    * wholly * completely * (on the whole) all in all

    Derived terms

    * in the altogether

    likely

    English

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • probable; having a greater-than-even chance of occurring
  • Rain is likely later this afternoon.
  • probable
  • They are likely to become angry with him.
  • *{{quote-news, year=2013, date=April 9, author=Andrei Lankov, title=Stay Cool. Call North Korea’s Bluff., work=New York Times citation
  • , passage=People who talk about an imminent possibility of war seldom pose this question: What would North Korea’s leadership get from unleashing a war that they are likely to lose in weeks, if not days?}}
  • appropriate, suitable; believable; having a good potential
  • Jones is a likely candidate for management.
  • plausible; Within the realm of credibility
  • not a very likely excuse.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=December 19 , author=Kerry Brown , title=Kim Jong-il obituary , work=The Guardian citation , page= , passage=The DPRK propagated an extraordinary tale of his birth occurring on Mount Baekdu, one of Korea's most revered sites, being accompanied by shooting stars in the sky. It is more likely that he was born in a small village in the USSR, while his father was serving as a Soviet-backed general during the second world war.}}
  • promising; Apt to achieve success or yield a desired outcome
  • a likely topic for investigation.
  • attractive; pleasant
  • found a likely spot under a shady tree for the picnic.
  • Reasonably to be expected; apparently destined.
  • He is likely to succeed at anything he tries.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=November 3 , author=Chris Bevan , title=Rubin Kazan 1 - 0 Tottenham , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=In truth, Tottenham never really looked like taking all three points and this defeat means they face a battle to reach the knockout stages -with their next home game against PAOK Salonika on 30 November likely to prove decisive.}}
  • (obsolete) Similar; like; alike.
  • (Spenser)

    Synonyms

    * liable

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • (obsolete) Similarly.
  • Probably.
  • *, chapter=1
  • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients, chapter=1 , passage=Thinks I to myself, “Sol, you're run off your course again. This is a rich man's summer ‘cottage’ and if you don't look out there's likely to be some nice, lively dog taking an interest in your underpinning.”}}

    Usage notes

    * As an adverb, likely is often preceded by a modifier such as (most) or (quite). * Some usage guides consider adverbial likely'' - instead of ''probably - to be poor style and an artificial, sometimes pretentious way to imply a sense of erudition. One can also opt for the somewhat rarer adverbial form likelily.

    Noun

    (likelies)
  • Something or somebody considered likely.