Probable

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Probable \Prob"a*ble\, a. [L. probabilis, fr. probare to try,
     approve, prove: cf. F. probable. See {Prove}, and cf.
     {Provable}.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. Capable of being proved. [Obs.]
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. Having more evidence for than against; supported by
        evidence which inclines the mind to believe, but leaves
        some room for doubt; likely.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              That is accounted probable which has better
              arguments producible for it than can be brought
              against it.                           --South.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              I do not say that the principles of religion are
              merely probable; I have before asserted them to be
              morally certain.                      --Bp. Wilkins.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. Rendering probable; supporting, or giving ground for,
        belief, but not demonstrating; as, probable evidence;
        probable presumption. --Blackstone.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Probable cause} (Law), a reasonable ground of presumption
        that a charge is, or my be, well founded.
  
     {Probable error} (of an observation, or of the mean of a
        number), that within which, taken positively and
        negatively, there is an even chance that the real error
        shall lie. Thus, if 3[sec] is the probable error in a
        given case, the chances that the real error is greater
        than 3[sec] are equal to the chances that it is less. The
        probable error is computed from the observations made, and
        is used to express their degree of accuracy.
  
     {The probable}, that which is within the bounds of
        probability; that which is not unnatural or preternatural;
        -- opposed to the marvelous.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  probable
       adj 1: likely but not certain to be or become true or real; "a
              likely result"; "he foresaw a probable loss" [syn: {likely},
               {plausible}] [ant: {improbable}]
       2: apparently destined; "the probable consequences of going
          ahead with the scheme"
       n : an applicant likely to be chosen

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  90 Moby Thesaurus words for "probable":
     anticipatable, anticipated, apparent, approaching, apt, awaited,
     believable, calculable, cogitable, colorable, coming, conceivable,
     conceivably possible, contingent, credible, desired, destinal,
     destined, determined, divinable, due, earthly, emergent, eventual,
     evident, expected, extrapolated, fair, fatal, fated, fatidic,
     feasible, foreknowable, foreseeable, foreseen, foretellable,
     forthcoming, future, futuristic, hereafter, hoped-for, hopeful,
     humanly possible, illusory, imaginable, imminent, improbable,
     in prospect, in the cards, in view, indubitable, later, liable,
     likely, long-expected, mortal, most likely, nearing, odds-on,
     on the horizon, ostensible, overdue, planned, plausible, plotted,
     possible, potential, precognizable, predictable,
     predictable within limits, predicted, presumable, presumed,
     presumptive, projected, promised, promising, prophesied,
     prospective, rational, reasonable, seeming, statistically probable,
     thinkable, to come, to-be, ultimate, undoubted, unquestionable,
     verisimilar
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  PROBABLE. That which has the appearance of truth; that which appears to be 
  founded in reason.