Todennäköinen

Todennäköinen is a Finnish adjective meaning likely or probable. It describes something that has a high chance of being true or happening based on evidence, reasoning, or common sense. The term is common in everyday language as well as in journalism and formal writing. For example: Se on todennäköinen ratkaisu. Todennäköinen voi olla myös se, että...

Etymology and related forms: Todennäköinen is a compound formed from the stem teden-/toden- related to truth, and näköinen meaning appearing or looking. The related noun todennäköisyys expresses the concept of probability, and the adverb todennäköisesti means probably or likely.

Usage and grammar: Finnish adjectives, including todennäköinen, agree with the noun they modify in number and case. Common forms include todennäköinen (nominal), todennäköisen (genitive), todennäköistä (partitive). The comparative form is todennäköisempi and the superlative is todennäköisin. The adverbial form todennäköisesti is used to qualify verbs: Hän tulee todennäköisesti myöhässä (He will probably be late).

Nuances and synonyms: Todennäköinen conveys a stronger likelihood than simply possible (mahdollinen) but is not as strong as certain or guaranteed. Related terms include uskottava (credible), plausible, and mahdollinen (possible), though each carries its own shade of meaning.

See also: todennäköisyys, todellisuus, epävarma.