completely likely

USAGE SUMMARY

"completely likely" is not a correct phrase in written English.
However, "highly likely" is. For example, "It is highly likely that the team will win the game."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

Progress will most certainly be halted completely, likely rolled back.

Huffington Post

After discussion, the nurse reviewer/physician team used clinical judgment to assess the preventability of the readmission on a five-point scale (not, slightly, moderately, very, or completely likely to be preventable).

BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

The expression of tetanus toxin light chain, shown previously to promote synapse silencing (29), produces a shift in nociceptive response temperature but like the pain mutant and the dSpt1 C129W manipulation does not remove it completely; most likely due to the presence of other thermosensors tuned to proximate temperature ranges in the peripheral nervous system (30).

Human Molecular Genetics

That means that if your kitchen cabinets and appliances lag behind those of the guy next door, an investment of $40,000 to update the room completely will likely be made back and then some when it comes time to sell.

Forbes

By the end of the track, we're somewhere else completely, most likely on a blimpus ride to beat music heaven.

Vice

When vole TS-like cells are maintained in differentiated conditions for 12 to 14 days, they lose Tsix expression completely, most likely due to repression of the Tsix promoter on the active X chromosome (Fig. 5A, lane 5).

Plosone

We would argue that the extent to which patients actually participate in the DMP as planned is a separate issue from that of discontinuing participation completely and likely would have led to different results.

BMC Health Services Research

Estimated gene trees and commonly accepted species tree [[ 24] and Figure 1] are not completely concordant, likely because of the short sequence length examined; indeed, nodes with discrepancies also have low posterior probability values.

BMC Evolutionary Biology

For the low-risk group with endocrine responsiveness, endocrine therapy remains the primary treatment, but for the corresponding intermediate group the treatment of choice is not completely clear, likely resulting in both over and undertreatment.

British Journal of Cancer

The modes of horse-to-human transmission of Hendra virus are not known completely, but likely result from direct contact with respiratory secretions and other equine tissue and fluids or from droplet or aerosol exposure.

Emerging Infectious Diseases

Replacing the butter completely is likely to change the taste and texture too much for most palettes.

WikiHow

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using "completely likely" in formal writing. Opt for alternatives like "highly likely" or "almost certain" to ensure grammatical correctness and clarity.

Common error

While "completely" is meant to intensify "likely", it creates redundancy. "Likely" already implies a probability; adding "completely" doesn't enhance the meaning and instead introduces grammatical awkwardness. Use stronger synonyms for "likely" instead.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "completely likely" functions as an attempt to intensify the adjective "likely", indicating a high probability. However, Ludwig AI indicates that this phrase is not considered standard English.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

35%

News & Media

40%

Wiki

25%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "completely likely" is generally considered grammatically incorrect in standard English. As Ludwig AI points out, while the intention is to emphasize a high degree of probability, it's better to use established and accepted alternatives like "highly likely", "very probable", or "almost certain". Although there are a few examples from sources like Huffington Post and Forbes, these instances do not validate its widespread use. For clear and effective communication, particularly in formal writing, avoid "completely likely" and opt for its more grammatically sound counterparts.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

highly probable

Replaces "completely likely" with a more standard and formal expression of probability, emphasizing the high degree of likelihood.

very probable

Similar to "highly probable", but can sometimes denote a slightly lesser degree of certainty, though still within a high range.

almost certain

Indicates an extremely high degree of likelihood, nearing absolute certainty, stronger than "completely likely".

most probable

Suggests that out of multiple possibilities, this one has the highest chance of occurring; a common and suitable alternative.

virtually certain

Implies a likelihood that is so strong it's difficult to imagine the opposite occurring, similar to "almost certain".

extremely likely

Conveys a very high degree of likelihood, using a more common and grammatically sound construction.

very likely

Similar to "extremely likely" but indicating a slightly lesser degree of certainty, yet still expressing high probability.

in all likelihood

A more idiomatic expression that implies something is very probable based on available evidence or reasoning.

quite likely

Expresses a good chance of something happening, although it might not be as strong as "highly probable".

practically certain

Indicates a level of confidence so high that for all practical purposes, the outcome is assured.

FAQs

What are some alternatives to "completely likely"?

Instead of "completely likely", use alternatives such as "highly probable", "very likely", or "almost certain" for a more grammatically correct and impactful expression.

Is "completely likely" grammatically correct?

No, "completely likely" is not considered grammatically correct in standard English. It's better to use established phrases like "highly likely" or "very probable".

How can I use "likely" correctly in a sentence?

Use "likely" with adverbs like "highly", "very", or "quite" to indicate the degree of probability. For example, "It is "highly likely" that the event will be successful" is grammatically sound.

What's the difference between "completely likely" and "highly likely"?

"Completely likely" is not standard English and should be avoided. "Highly likely" is the correct and accepted way to express a high degree of probability.