- present participle of question.
questioning
Americanadjective
-
indicating or implying a question.
a questioning tone in her voice.
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characterized by or indicating intellectual curiosity; inquiring.
an alert and questioning mind.
noun
adjective
-
proceeding from or characterized by a feeling of doubt or uncertainty
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enthusiastic or eager for philosophical or other investigations; intellectually stimulated
an alert and questioning mind
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of questioning
Explanation
Questioning is an appeal or demand for an answer, or for more information. Sometimes the police will bring a witness to a crime into the station for questioning. When you participate in questioning, you may very well have a questioning look on your face. As an adjective, questioning can mean "curious," "confused or perplexed," or even "skeptical." If you show up at school in a clown costume, your teachers and friends might look at you in a questioning way — or they may dive right into the questioning, demanding: "What on earth are you wearing?"
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.
Smith, as you might expect, was confused by this line of questioning, stammering that he didn’t recall attending any Hawks games.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026
Healey praised young people as "digital natives, whip-smart, questioning, ambitious, brave" who could move from "generation jeopardy to generation hope".
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Now, developers and public officials are questioning whether the 60% standard is too high if those apartments effectively lose their discount as soon as market rents stall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Fans were quick to point out the very significant new bling, questioning whether it was indeed a sign that Holland had proposed.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
When he looked at her, eyebrows up, questioning if she wanted it, she shook her head.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
