dubious
Americanadjective
-
doubtful; marked by or occasioning doubt.
a dubious reply.
-
of doubtful quality or propriety; questionable.
a dubious compliment; a dubious transaction.
-
of uncertain outcome.
in dubious battle.
-
wavering or hesitating in opinion; inclined to doubt.
adjective
-
marked by or causing doubt
a dubious reply
-
unsettled in mind; uncertain; doubtful
-
of doubtful quality; untrustworthy
a dubious reputation
-
not certain in outcome
Synonym Usage
See doubtful.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dubious
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin dubius; cf. doubt ( def. )
Explanation
Choose the adjective dubious for something you have doubts about or you suspect is not true. That bridge you just "bought" might be of dubious value. Dubious stems from Latin dubiosus, "doubtful" or "uncertain," and contains the Latin root duo in this case meaning "of two minds." This is apparent in that dubious generally describes something that appears one way but is truly another. A dubious claim is probably not true, whereas a dubious website or character is of questionable quality. Dubious can also be synonymous with doubtful, as in "she was dubious about the idea."
Vocabulary lists containing dubious
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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Lord of the Flies
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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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.
“Even then its prospects for success are dubious, mainly because of the unintended consequences,” she added, such as attacks on energy and economic targets in the Gulf states.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Last year the bridge was given the dubious honour by Network Rail as the most bashed in Britain, after it was was struck 22 times between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
But others are still dubious that the city will fulfill its promises — or that the project itself will ever be finished.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Running a pharmaceutical company under our dysfunctional system is a high-wire act that requires balancing the high-risk, high-cost business of drug discovery against the dubious math of drug pricing.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
About his awful dad, about his dubious wardrobe choices.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
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.
