What's the difference between impossible and unlikely?

Impossible


Definition:

  • (a.) Not possible; incapable of being done, of existing, etc.; unattainable in the nature of things, or by means at command; insuperably difficult under the circumstances; absurd or impracticable; not feasible.
  • (n.) An impossibility.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The size of Florida makes the kind of face-to-face politics of the earlier contests impossible, requiring instead huge ad spending.
  • (2) It was considered worthwhile to report this case due to the problems which arose concerning the choice of a thoracic rather than abdominal route owing to the impossibility of associating cardiomyotomy with anti-reflux plastica surgery because of the reduced dimensions of the stomach.
  • (3) During periods of wet steam it was impossible to maintain consistent sterility of the mouse pellets even using a cycle of 126 degrees C for 60 minutes.
  • (4) It is stated, that it is impossible to strive to effectively control the smoking habit neither by way of the consulting hours for smokers nor by means of the 5-days-plans.
  • (5) It’s impossible to understand why they don’t hold a PRB every single day.
  • (6) The contra-indications for them are: 1. a better visual acuity with spectacles than with contact lenses, 2. advanced cases (4th degree of Amsler) whose fitting is impossible, 3. unilateral keratoconus, 4. associated diseases such as trachomatous pannus, allergic kerato-conjunctivitis.
  • (7) Not long ago the comeback would have been impossible to imagine.
  • (8) It is often difficult if not impossible to include a pediatric patient in the planning of burn reconstruction.
  • (9) But leading British doctors Sarah Creighton , consultant gynaecologist at the private Portland Hospital, Susan Bewley , consultant obstetrician at St Thomas's and Lih-Mei Liao , clinical psychologist in women's health at University College Hospital then wrote to the journal countering that his clitoral restoration claims were "anatomically impossible".
  • (10) "I have tried to borrow the money, but it was simply impossible."
  • (11) It appears impossible to define a "positive" tilt test that would adequately identify patients with clinically significant dehydration or blood loss; this is due to the large variance in patients' orthostatic measurements both in a healthy and in an ill state and the lack of a significant correlation of orthostatic measurements to a level of dehydration.
  • (12) The grand patriarch, battling dissent and delusion, coming in for another shot, a new king on the throne, an impossible future to face down.
  • (13) Contrary to the claims of some commentators, such as Steve Vladeck , it is impossible to argue reasonably that the memo imposed a requirement of "infeasibility of capture" on Obama's assassination power.
  • (14) Clearly, it is impossible to combine the diverse information briefly outlined in this review to provide a coherent model of the regulation of globin gene expression during development.
  • (15) This report emphasizes the value of intensive investigation before surgery, since it may be impossible to identify the site of bleeding at laparotomy.
  • (16) It is as yet impossible to judge how far routine magnetic resonance imaging will supplant or complement CT in making the initial clinical diagnosis.
  • (17) She said it was impossible to attribute the increase in Indigenous women’s incarceration rates to one specific factor, but law and order policies of federal and state governments should be examined.
  • (18) It was impossible to distinguish the type of drug used for inhibition of EIA if it caused bronchodilatation at rest.
  • (19) Facebook Twitter Pinterest Columnist Jonathan Freedland and economics editor Larry Elliott discuss the late-night deal that the Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras has agreed to When it comes to the now-abandoned Thessaloniki Programme, the radical manifesto on which Alexis Tsipras came to power, there is always talk of implementing it “from below”: that is, demanding so many workers’ rights inside the industries designated for privatisation that it becomes impossible; or implementing the minimum wage through wildcat strikes.
  • (20) It was impossible to trace the axons originating in the NLT, since the cyto- and axoplasm could not be stained specifically.

Unlikely


Definition:

  • (a.) Not likely; improbable; not to be reasonably expected; as, an unlikely event; the thing you mention is very unlikely.
  • (a.) Not holding out a prospect of success; likely to fail; unpromising; as, unlikely means.
  • (a.) Not such as to inspire liking; unattractive; disagreeable.
  • (adv.) In an unlikely manner.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The pancreatic changes are unlikely to be an artefact, but rather a direct toxic effect of the alcohol as confirmed by the biochemical changes.
  • (2) This was unlike the action of the calcium channel blocker, cadmium, which reduced the calcium action potential and the a.h.p.
  • (3) 2.35pm: West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has admitted that a deal to land Miroslav Klose is unlikely to go through following the striker's star performances in South Africa.
  • (4) Unlike Milo, he appears to be – to some extent – convinced of the truth of what he’s saying.
  • (5) Recent studies have shown that an aberration in platelet-derived growth factor gene expression is unlikely to be a factor in proliferation of smooth-muscle cells.
  • (6) Their contour lengths varied from 0.28 to 51 micron, but unlike in the case of maize, a large difference was not observed in the distribution of molecular classes greater than 1.0 micron between N and S cytoplasms of sugar beet.
  • (7) Psychiatry unlike philosophy (with its problem of solipsism) recognizes the existence of other minds from the nonverbal communication between doctor and patient.
  • (8) Businesses fleeing Brexit will head to New York not EU, warns LSE chief Read more Amid attempts by Frankfurt, Paris and Dublin to catch possible fallout from London, Sir Jon Cunliffe said it was highly unlikely that any EU centre could replicate the services offered by the UK’s financial services industry.
  • (9) A full-scale war is unlikely but there is clear concern in Seoul about the more realistic threat of a small-scale attack on the South Korean military or a group of islands near the countries' disputed maritime border in the Yellow Sea.
  • (10) It is concluded that selection against insertional mutations is unlikely to be the major factor involved in the containment of element abundance.
  • (11) An antagonism is unlikely when ciprofloxacin is combined with one of the beta-lactams studied or with tobramycin.
  • (12) "Gut closure" is an unlikely explanation for these findings.
  • (13) This "gender identity movement" has brought together such unlikely collaborators as surgeons, endocrinologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, gynecologists, and research specialists into a mutually rewarding arena.
  • (14) The nature of these infiltrative foci remains uncertain; however, they are unlikely to have been of neoplastic origin and may be due to interleukin-2-induced lymphocytic infiltration.
  • (15) Unlike results seen in the goldfish optic nerve, injury to the rat optic nerve induced no observable increase in laminin content or change in its distribution.
  • (16) Unlikely, he laughs: "We were founded on the idea of distributing information as far as possible."
  • (17) Unlike most birds of prey, which are territorial and fight each other over nesting and hunting grounds, the hen harrier nests close to other harriers.
  • (18) And this has opened up a loophole for businesses to be morally bankrupt, ignoring the obligations to its workforce because no legal conduct has been established.” Whatever the outcome of the pending lawsuits, it’s unlikely that just one model will work for everybody.
  • (19) Unlike unattenuated virus, the Us3::pgC-lacZ recombinant caused little apparent damage to normal hippocampal morphology.
  • (20) Unlike thiorphan, 5 nmol RB38A alone was able to inhibit [3H]DAGO binding by 60%.