questionable
Americanadjective
-
of doubtful propriety, honesty, morality, respectability, etc..
questionable activities; in questionable taste.
- Antonyms:
- certain
-
open to question or dispute; doubtful or uncertain.
a statement of questionable accuracy.
- Synonyms:
- dubious, dubitable, controvertible, disputable, debatable
-
open to question as to being of the nature or value suggested.
a questionable privilege.
adjective
-
(esp of a person's morality or honesty) admitting of some doubt; dubious
-
of disputable value or authority
a questionable text
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of questionable
Explanation
Something that's questionable is uncertain or hard to believe. If a politician says things you doubt are true, you might describe his words as questionable. You might say that it's questionable whether you'll reach your goal of getting straight A's in school, or secretly believe that everything your history teacher says is slightly questionable. In either case, you're highly doubtful. You can even describe a person as questionable, if he or she doesn't strike you as completely honest. The original meaning of the word was "that may be interrogated," from the Latin root word quaestionem, "a seeking, inquiry, questioning, or examination."
Vocabulary lists containing questionable
"The Tragedy of Hamlet," Vocabulary from Act 1
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Strange
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Strange
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But he and Talley aren’t the only former Collins employees with questionable histories.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
Responding to a glut of what it saw as low-quality, AI-generated content from aspiring thought leaders, LinkedIn recently introduced a “seems like AI slop” tag users can click for posts that they find questionable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Pushing away your fastest-growing customer group is a questionable business move.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
Before cutting his hair, Haaland joked around by showing off some images of his previous hairstyles during his career, and some questionable ideas of how his new hair should look.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Mom usually picked a movie from a long time ago, when people made questionable fashion choices.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
