Likely1, a.
[compar. LIKELIER; superl. LIKELIEST.] [That is, like-like.]
Sense 1. Worthy of belief; probable; credible; as, a likely story.
Sense 2. Having probability; having or giving reason to expect; — followed by an infinitive; as, I am likely to preach to-morrow; it might be likely to do help; it is likely to be at my disposal.
Sense 3. Such as may be liked; of honorable or excellent qualities or character; pleasing; as, a likely man or woman.
☞ This use of likely is not obsolete, as Johnson affirms, nor is it vulgar. But the English and their descendants in America differ in the application. The English apply the word to external appearance, and with them likely is equivalent to handsome, well-formed; as, a likely man; a likely horse. In America, the word is also sometimes applied to the endowments of the mind, or to pleasing accomplishments. A likely man is a man of good character and talents, or of good dispositions or accomplishments, that render him pleasing or respectable. It has the general sense of promising.
Sense 4. Similar; alike. [Obs.]
Love is a celestial harmony Of likely hearts. Spencer.