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.
Suddenly, it is tilted into Celtic's favour thanks to a questionable, stoppage-time VAR intervention.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
When peer review cannot keep up, questionable work is more likely to slip through.
From Slate • May 3, 2026
He was questionable for Games 3 and 4, warming up on the court before each game, but was ultimately ruled out.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
"It is questionable whether financial markets are correctly pricing the reality that supply constraints will remain an issue for some time," she wrote.
From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026
On the small scale, it gives you the Yankees- Red Sox rivalry; on the large one, it gives you more questionable twentieth-century regimes than I care to mention.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
