dubious

[doo-bee-uhs, dyoo-]

adjective

1. doubtful; marked by or occasioning doubt.

   a dubious reply.

   Synonyms: unclear, obscure, ambiguous, equivocal

2. of doubtful quality or propriety; questionable.

   a dubious compliment; a dubious transaction.

3. of uncertain outcome.

   in dubious battle.

4. wavering or hesitating in opinion; inclined to doubt.

   Synonyms: hesitant, uncertain, undecided

dubious

/ ˈdjuːbɪəs /

adjective

1. marked by or causing doubt

   a dubious reply

2. unsettled in mind; uncertain; doubtful

3. of doubtful quality; untrustworthy

   a dubious reputation

4. not certain in outcome

Other Word Forms

• dubiously adverb
• dubiousness noun
• superdubious adjective
• superdubiously adverb
• superdubiousness noun
• undubious adjective
• undubiously adverb
• undubiousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dubious¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin dubius; doubt ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of dubious¹

C16: from Latin dubius wavering

Synonym Study

See doubtful.

Example Sentences

"We chose to stay in Bulgaria, but not in a Bulgaria of dubious dealings," the 20-year-old added.

Read more on Barron's

By the time Hamilton met them, Angelica was already married to an entrepreneurial Englishman of dubious character; the younger, less-flamboyant Eliza quickly formed a passionate bond with the scrappy, brilliant future U.S.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But female guests don’t have their phones or any other resources that might help them formulate informed responses or fact-check Atlas’s dubious statistics.

Read more on Salon

He seems to find it dubious that the treaty that ceded this land will bring about lasting peace.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Here’s the real joke: Simons was an antiwar mathematician who thought capitalism was morally dubious.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• arguable 
• debatable 
• equivocal 
• fishy 
• hesitant 
• improbable 
• problematic 
• questionable 
• reluctant 
• shady 
• skeptical 
• suspicious 
• uncertain 
• unclear 
• unconvinced 
• unreliable 
• unsure