dubious

[ doo-bee-uhs, dyoo- ]

/ ˈdu bi əs, ˈdyu- /

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See synonyms for: dubious / dubiously / dubiousness on Thesaurus.com

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR dubious

1 equivocal, ambiguous, obscure, unclear.

4 undecided, uncertain, hesitant, fluctuating.

See synonyms for dubious on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

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What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

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Origin of dubious

1540–50; <Latin dubius;see -ous

synonym study for dubious

4. See doubtful.

OTHER WORDS FROM dubious

du·bi·ous·ly, adverbdu·bi·ous·ness, nounsu·per·du·bi·ous, adjectivesu·per·du·bi·ous·ly, adverb

su·per·du·bi·ous·ness, nounun·du·bi·ous, adjectiveun·du·bi·ous·ly, adverbun·du·bi·ous·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use dubious in a sentence

In the second strand of the book, he explores his life as an actor, and here the focus is not on rehashing his many achievements, but rather on the dubious nature of fame and on self-doubt.
Gabriel Byrne’s ‘Walking with Ghosts’ is a revelation in unexpected ways|Keith Donohue|January 12, 2021|Washington Post
The most compelling case for national greatness, if you’re playing that game, is that the country is ironically great, in that it started with dubious ideals but, fortunately, failed to realize them.
We teach students how to understand the U.S., not to love it — or hate it|Daniel Immerwahr|December 23, 2020|Washington Post
In some cases, right-leaning figures and news sites pushed the disinformation, as well as dubious websites and followers of bogus conspiracy theory QAnon.
Vaccine hoaxes are rampant on social media. Here’s how to spot them.|Rachel Lerman|December 18, 2020|Washington Post
Even in a plague, a company with a morally dubious track record has to be treated with great caution concerning its claims.
As China nears a coronavirus vaccine, bribery cloud hangs over drugmaker Sinovac|Eva Dou|December 4, 2020|Washington Post

As the vote counts come in and vote shares shift, some “influencers”—people with many followers in the media and on social media—have been questioning, with dubious evidence, the results and the voting process in battleground states.
Five election misinformation campaigns to avoid resharing|By Starbird, West, & DiResta/The Conversation|November 6, 2020|Popular-Science
Another reason might have been the dubiousness with which the tactics of the so-called New Journalism were viewed.
Charles Portis, a Journalist With True Grit|Jay Jennings|September 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Diogenes eyed her with a dubiousness that soon became certainty.
The Proud Prince|Justin Huntly McCarthy
I'll just keep on being puzzled quietly and without indicating the slightest magneto-ionic dubiousness, if you'd rather.
Where I Wasn't Going|Walt Richmond
"I really fear sometimes that you cannot," he said, with a dubiousness approaching anger.
Jude the Obscure|Thomas Hardy
She could not accept a 'perhaps' that cast dubiousness on her disinterested championship.
Diana of the Crossways, Complete|George Meredith
I did not overlook the evils of constraint and the dubiousness as to the character of the master I should choose.
Arthur Mervyn|Charles Brockden Brown

British Dictionary definitions for dubious

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 forms of dubious

dubiously, 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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

dubious

OTHER WORDS FOR dubious

Origin of dubious

synonym study for dubious

OTHER WORDS FROM dubious

Words related to dubious

How to use dubious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dubious

Derived forms of dubious

Word Origin for dubious