dubious

[ doo-bee-uhs, dyoo- ]

adjective

1. doubtful; marked by or occasioning doubt:

   a dubious reply.

   Synonyms: unclear, obscure, ambiguous, equivocal

2. of doubtful quality or propriety; questionable:

   a dubious compliment; a dubious transaction.

3. of uncertain outcome:

   in dubious battle.

4. wavering or hesitating in opinion; inclined to doubt.

   Synonyms: hesitant, uncertain, undecided

dubious

/ ˈdjuːbɪəs /

adjective

1. marked by or causing doubt

   a dubious reply

2. unsettled in mind; uncertain; doubtful
3. of doubtful quality; untrustworthy

   a dubious reputation

4. not certain in outcome

Derived Forms

• ˈdubiously, adverb
• ˈdubiousness, noun

Other Words From

• dubi·ous·ly adverb
• dubi·ous·ness noun
• super·dubi·ous adjective
• super·dubi·ous·ly adverb
• super·dubi·ous·ness noun
• un·dubi·ous adjective
• un·dubi·ous·ly adverb
• un·dubi·ous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dubious¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin dubius; doubt ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of dubious¹

C16: from Latin dubius wavering

Synonym Study

See doubtful.

Example Sentences

While it’s legally sketchy, it’s also morally dubious.

From Slate

So his reasons are completely dubious in the first place,” Berry continued.

From Salon

And the student loan forgiveness program never came to fruition, the Supreme Court strangling it on extremely dubious grounds before the aid ever got out the door.

From Slate

A few years after my drink with Brooks — and after the dubious ascent of Bush to the White House in 2000, and the Iraq War had caught and carried Brooks hook, line and sinker in his New York Times columns — I lacerated him in my own columns, perhaps especially this one.

From Salon

Haemophiliacs were "most at risk" from the "dubious habits" of some paid American blood donors, and the mixing of thousands of those donations to make Factor VIII.

From BBC

Related Words

• arguable
• debatable
• equivocal
• fishy
• hesitant
• improbable
• problematic
• questionable
• reluctant
• shady
• skeptical
• suspicious
• uncertain
• unclear
• unconvinced
• unreliable
• unsure