I was never the likeliest candidate for this office.
Source: tatoeba (330442)
Likeliest
Synonyms for "likeliest" (7 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: aptest, best explanation, leading hypothesis, likely, plausible.
- Sentence evidence is available for likeliest, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from derived_reverse, opengloss.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "likeliest".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "likeliest"
Keep "likeliest" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "likeliest" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "likeliest", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "likeliest" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
4 entriesMore specific
8 entriesdominant explanationleading hypothesismost likely scenariomost plausible explanationmost plausible scenariomost probable hypothesismost probable outcomestrongest hypothesis
Collocations
6 entrieslikeliest explanationlikeliest hypothesislikeliest interpretationlikeliest outcomelikeliest readinglikeliest scenario
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
1 entriesSample sentences
4 total sentences available.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines, and the living rooms of Concord, and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.
Source: tatoeba (347765)
Using data from the known cases of MERS, the researchers found that, on average, someone with the disease is likeliest to infect at most, only one other person. SARS patients were likely to infect three others. That level of contagiousness made it a pandemic.
Source: tatoeba (12219944)
... the common man of pleasure and the frivolous woman of fashion, still the wisest way to fuse their minds to union, the likeliest receipt for moral good and social comfort, would have been this course of foreign scenes, of new faces,[…]
Source: wiktionary
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "likeliest"?
Closest matches include aptest, best explanation, leading hypothesis, likely, plausible.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "likeliest"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.