dubious
Americanadjective
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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
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not certain in outcome
Related Words
See doubtful.
Other Word Forms
- dubiously adverb
- dubiousness noun
- superdubious adjective
- superdubiously adverb
- superdubiousness noun
- undubious adjective
- undubiously adverb
- undubiousness noun
Etymology
Origin of dubious
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin dubius; doubt ( def. )
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.
AI has a somewhat dubious reputation in the legal world, where lawyers in recent months have drawn ridicule and reprimand for submitting briefs riddled with citations to fictional cases and factual errors.
The dialogue between managers and the public investment community therefore becomes performative theater, revolving around quarterly earnings estimates even though both sides are dubious about the long-run significance of those earnings.
From Barron's
But when tragic circumstances cut short his money-making scheme, Skipton tries to sell dubious art to an equally suspect Italian count.
The step had dubious legal validity, since deep-sea areas are governed by treaties administered by the United Nations, rather than individual nations.
Breaking an Oscars record is usually a good thing, but Adrien Brody achieved a dubious honour when he won best actor in February.
From BBC
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.
