dubious
[ doo-bee-uhs, dyoo- ]
/ ˈdu bi əs, ˈdyu- /
adjective
doubtful; marked by or occasioning doubt: a dubious reply.
of doubtful quality or propriety; questionable: a dubious compliment; a dubious transaction.
of uncertain outcome: in dubious battle.
wavering or hesitating in opinion; inclined to doubt.
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Nearby words
dubiety, dubin johnson syndrome, dubinsky, dubinsky, david, dubiosity, dubious, dubiously, dubitable, dubitation, dubitative, dublin
Origin of dubious
Related forms
Synonym study
4. See doubtful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for dubiously
British Dictionary definitions for dubiously
dubious
/ (ˈdjuːbɪəs) /
adjective
marked by or causing doubta dubious reply
unsettled in mind; uncertain; doubtful
of doubtful quality; untrustworthya dubious reputation
not certain in outcome
Derived Formsdubiously, adverbdubiousness, noun
Word Origin for dubious
C16: from Latin dubius wavering
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for dubiously
dubious
1540s, from Latin dubiosus "doubtful," from dubium "doubt," neuter of dubius "vacillating, moving two ways, fluctuating;" figuratively "wavering in opinion, doubting, doubtful," from duo "two" (see two), with a sense of "of two minds, undecided between two things." Old English also used tweo "two" to mean "doubt." Cf. doubt (v.). Related: Dubiously; dubiousness.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper