questionable

[kwes-chuh-nuh-buhl]

adjective

1. of doubtful propriety, honesty, morality, respectability, etc..

   questionable activities; in questionable taste.

   Antonyms: certain

2. open to question or dispute; doubtful or uncertain.

   a statement of questionable accuracy.

   Synonyms: dubious, dubitable, controvertible, disputable, debatable

3. open to question as to being of the nature or value suggested.

   a questionable privilege.

questionable

/ ˈkwɛstʃənəbəl /

adjective

1. (esp of a person's morality or honesty) admitting of some doubt; dubious

2. of disputable value or authority

   a questionable text

Other Word Forms

• questionably adverb
• questionableness noun
• questionability noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of questionable¹

First recorded in 1580–90; question + -able

Example Sentences

“How much of an appetite private insurers have for additional flood risk is questionable.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Both companies took on excessive debt and engaged in questionable financial practices.

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You can take short cuts by bringing in transfers and hiring questionable assistants who try to use their connections to gain new players.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Too many biotechs of questionable quality went public during the pandemic, leaving specialist cash tied up in dead-end names.

Read more on Barron's

The American legal system, he says, is largely based on precedent, not ironclad statutes, leaving some wiggle room for questionable business practices.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• ambiguous 
• arguable 
• controversial 
• debatable 
• dubious 
• problematic 
• suspicious 
• unproven 
• vague