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

The dubious Cortes becomes Two-Face, while Poison Ivy appears as an enigmatic goddess.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But, in another corner of the exchange, new penny-stock listings for tiny overseas companies with dubious financial prospects proliferate.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

There's also a bit of dubious reasoning involved in the idea that shorter grands prix would be the right way to respond to a demand to watch key moments.

Read more on BBC

But a combination of dubious legal representation and an arrest made by members of a notoriously corrupt unit in the Los Angeles Police Department saw Eagle sentenced to 25-years-to-life in prison.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The president also has the power to confound and bend political and social reality to his will, a dubious gift that has short-circuited systems of political accountability.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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