What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Seldom vs Unlikely - What's the difference?

seldom | unlikely |

As adverbs the difference between seldom and unlikely

is that seldom is infrequently, rarely while unlikely is in an improbable manner.

As adjectives the difference between seldom and unlikely

is that seldom is rare; infrequent while unlikely is not likely; improbable; not to be reasonably expected.

As a noun unlikely is

something or somebody considered unlikely.

seldom

English

Adverb

(en adverb)
  • Infrequently, rarely.
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=8 , passage=I corralled the judge, and we started off across the fields, in no very mild state of fear of that gentleman's wife, whose vigilance was seldom relaxed.}}
  • *{{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?}}
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-01, volume=407, issue=8838, page=71, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= End of the peer show , passage=Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close. This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms. Those that want to borrow are matched with those that want to lend.}}

    Usage notes

    It is grammatically a negative word. It therefore collocates with ever rather than never. * Compare He seldom ever plays tennis.'' with ''He almost never plays tennis.

    Synonyms

    * barely * hardly * rarely * scarcely * infrequently

    Antonyms

    * often * frequently

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (obsolete) rare; infrequent
    • A suppressed and seldom anger. — Jeremy Taylor.

    Anagrams

    * English frequency adverbs

    unlikely

    English

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • Not likely; improbable; not to be reasonably expected.
    • It's very unlikely that you'll be able to walk perfectly after being in a cast for six months.
  • * 1895 , H. G. Wells, The Time Machine Chapter X
    • Now, I still think that for this box of matches to have escaped the wear of time for immemorial years was a strange, and for me, a most fortunate thing. Yet oddly enough I found here a far more unlikely substance, and that was camphor.
  • Not holding out a prospect of success; likely to fail; unpromising.
    • unlikely means

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • In an improbable manner.

    • Noun

    (unlikelies)
  • Something or somebody considered unlikely.
  • * 1980 , Robert K. Lindsay, Applications of artificial intelligence for organic chemistry
    • The molecular ion candidates are divided by the testing phase into three categories: rejects, unlikelies , and probables. Differences between each candidate and the prominent peaks in the spectrum are computed.
  • * 1996 , Laurie R. King, To Play the Fool
    • "Here is my every possible phone number, plus a few unlikelies . And I've also put down the numbers of Karin and Wade, in case you've lost them. Karin can come anytime; Wade, up until six in the morning."
  • * 2001 , Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Marci Shimoff, Chicken soup for the mother's soul 2 (page 166)
    • Then the most unlikely of unlikelies happened. We got another phone call. Another woman wanted to give us a baby—a boy, born just that morning. We walked into a hospital, and he was placed into my arms.

    References

    *