ques·tion·ing
ˈkwes-chə-niŋ 
ˈkwesh-
plural questionings
: the activity or process of asking questions
Illocutionary acts … such as stating, questioning, promising, or commanding.—
Ronald Wardhaugh
Ronald Wardhaugh… serious questionings of the relation between art and life …—J. Dennis Huston
J. Dennis HustonHer folks and very pregnant sister met us at the restaurant, and it didn't take long for me to warm up to them. After sweating through a few rounds of questioning, I felt a little more at ease …—Cosmopolitan
CosmopolitanThe time had also passed for any further questioning about what genes were. The name of the game was DNA.—James D. Watson et al.
James D. Watson et al.
often
: judicial interrogation
As she continued her questioning, she found herself pounding the witness stand, her voice rising in accusation until it was a scream. —Carol Lynn Mithers
Carol Lynn Mithers The FBI has seized your computers and brought you in for questioning. —Graham P. Collins
Graham P. Collins CNN made a disconcerting habit of breaking away for commercials without regard to what was happening in the court—often in the middle of a line of questioning. —David Hiltbrand
David Hiltbrand 1
: expressing or implying a question
a questioning look
… looking at her with a questioning and rather startled gaze.—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle2
: inclined to ask questions or seek information : inquisitive
The changes of direction are partly explained by this questioning attitude, and partly by his having written the book over twenty years.—Sarah Bakewell
Sarah BakewellFor a man with as questioning a mind as Charles Darwin's there was no danger of mental vegetation.—Ronald W. Clark
Ronald W. Clark3
: uncertain about or engaged in exploring one's own sexual or gender identity
Suburban Connecticut's first support group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning youths had just begun, and Alex was proving how desperately it was needed.—Dan Woog
Dan WoogFacebook provides more than 50 options beyond "male" and "female" for users to describe their gender identity, from "gender questioning" and "neither" to "androgynous."—Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
questioningly
adverb
I stared questioningly at Mama, not really understanding.
—Mildred D. Taylor
Mildred D. Taylor
The bartender came over and looked questioningly at Julie. "I'll have a Scotch sour on the rocks," she said.
—Robert B. Parker
Robert B. Parker
Examples of questioning in a Sentence
Adjective
a naturally questioning person, she demands rock-solid proof before she believes anything
Recent Examples on the Web
Emma Green, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Woods, who was hiccupping during questioning, continuously moved his head during one of the sobriety tests and deputies had to tell him several times to keep his head straight, according to an arrest report.
—R.j. Rico, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026
The movie, like the novel, unfolds in two parts, following the events leading up to the murder, including Meursault’s relationship with Marie (Rebecca Marder) and friendship with Raymond (Pierre Lottin) and then depicting Meursault’s questioning and trial.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 3 Apr. 2026
When there is a pattern of individuals repeatedly coming into contact with the system, it is treated as a personal issue; there often is no questioning as to whether the system is failing them.
—Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for questioning
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Noun
Many evangelicals of Hatmaker’s generation have travelled the same path of pointed questioning—not just about specific verses or churches but about their whole cultural milieu.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Woods, who was hiccupping during questioning, continuously moved his head during one of the sobriety tests and deputies had to tell him several times to keep his head straight, according to an arrest report.
—R.j. Rico, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026
The movie, like the novel, unfolds in two parts, following the events leading up to the murder, including Meursault’s relationship with Marie (Rebecca Marder) and friendship with Raymond (Pierre Lottin) and then depicting Meursault’s questioning and trial.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 3 Apr. 2026
When there is a pattern of individuals repeatedly coming into contact with the system, it is treated as a personal issue; there often is no questioning as to whether the system is failing them.
—Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for questioning
Cite this Entry
“Questioning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/questioning. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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