Dubious

/ˈd͡ʒuː.bi.əs/ · adjective

Meaning

(of a statement, matter, or thing) Arousing doubt; questionable; open to suspicion..

Definitions by Sense

1. (of a statement, matter, or thing) Arousing doubt; questionable; open to suspicion.
2. (of a person) In disbelief; wavering, uncertain, or hesitating in opinion; inclined to doubt; undecided.
3. (chess, chiefly of an opening move) Generally considered imprecise or wrong, but not totally unplayable.

Example Sentences

After he made some dubious claims about the company, fewer people trusted him.

They were renowned as people of dubious morals.

There are several reasons why the line's future is now dubious. With the exception of Horsmonden, the stations are most inconveniently sited. This is largely because the Wealden villages were built on ridges, and in fact most Wealden stations are badly placed.

Evasive, womanising, boastful, malicious, untrustworthy, an inveterate gambler who combined his mediocre military career with running a high-class brothel, permanently cash strapped and viciously quarrelsome, his character is as dubious as his unsavoury appearance.

Urban Dictionary records at least 66 of the terms found by the present research, but as this dictionary liberally accepts words, definitions, and sample sentences based solely on the say-so of contributors, in the absence of corroboration from other sources the authenticity of some entries must remain dubious.

She was dubious about my plan at first, but later I managed to persuade her to cooperate.

Last year, President Obama had large majorities in Congress and hopes of passing a comprehensive climate and energy bill. Next year, he faces a new Congress much more dubious about the reality of climate change and considerably more hostile to international efforts to deal with it.

Synonyms for dubious

Antonyms for dubious

Related Words

Word Forms

• more dubious
• most dubious

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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