| Part of Speech | Definition | |
| Noun Plural | 1. Plural inflection of the noun improbability.[Eve - graph theoretic] | |
| Noun Base (improbability) | 1. The quality of being improbable; "impossibility should never be confused with improbability"; "the improbability of such rare coincidences".[Wordnet]. 2. The quality or state of being improbable; unlikelihood; also, that which is improbable; an improbable event or result.[Websters]. | |
Sources: compiled from various sources, (under license) copyright 2008. | Top | |
Date "IMPROBABILITIES" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1651. (references) |
Specialty Definition: improbability
| Domain | Definition | ||
| Satire | IMPROBABILITY, n. His tale he told with a solemn face And a tender, melancholy grace. Improbable 'twas, no doubt, When you came to think it out, But the fascinated crowd Their deep surprise avowed And all with a single voice averred 'Twas the most amazing thing they'd heard -- All save one who spake never a word, But sat as mum As if deaf and dumb, Serene, indifferent and unstirred. Then all the others turned to him And scrutinized him limb from limb -- Scanned him alive; But he seemed to thrive And tranquiler grow each minute, As if there were nothing in it. "What! what!" cried one, "are you not amazed At what our friend has told?" He raised Soberly then his eyes and gazed In a natural way And proceeded to say, As he crossed his feet on the mantel-shelf: "O no -- not at all; I'm a liar myself." Source: Devil's Dictionary | ||
| Noah Webster | [Noun] The quality of being improbable, or not likely to be true; unlikelihood.. Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary. | ||
| Wikipedic | 'Improbability' is the modal probability employed by Douglas Adams in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Improbability is modeled after mathematical probability, but is only related to real probability in the sense that irony is related to chance. In the fiction of Douglas Adams, improbability is portrayed by a succession of increasingly unlikely events. As a literary device it is closer to the concept of deus ex machina than probability. However, as the characters frequently comment about how improbable this or that is, it becomes a point of self-reference. (references) | ||
| Wiktionary | 1: [Noun] That which is improbable; an improbable event or result. (references) | 2: [Noun] The quality or state of being improbable; unlikelihood. (references) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | Top | ||
Common Expressions: improbability
| Expressions | Definition | ||
| Improbability factor | In computer programming the improbability factor is a situation where a problem exists in a system. Frequently, the programmers are aware of the problem, but they are not allowed to fix the problem, solely because the chances of the problem ever surfacing are supposedly negligible. As a result, the problem may still occur and do heavy damage due to Murphy's law. (references) | ||
| Infinite Improbability Drive | The Infinite Improbability Drive is the spaceship drive for the starship Heart of Gold in the science fiction story The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. (references) | ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | Top | ||
Topics by Level of Interest: improbability | ||||
| Topics sorted by level of Interest | Level (1=low, 600=high) | Topics sorted Alphabetically | Level (1=low, 600=high) | |
| Infinite Improbability Drive | 17 | Improbability | 6 | |
| Improbability | 6 | Improbability factor | 2 | |
| Improbability factor | 2 | Infinite Improbability Drive | 17 | |
Source: the editor, created by/for EVE to gauge likely levels of human interest in linguistically triggered topics (compiled across various sources, such as Wikipedia and specialty expression glosses). | ||||
