dubious

adjective

ˈdü-bē-əs How to pronounce dubious (audio)
Definition of dubiousnext
1
as in questionable
giving good reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged any letter bearing the signature of Geronimo would be of dubious authenticity, to say the least

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2
as in reluctant
slow to begin or proceed with a course of action because of doubts or uncertainty I'm dubious about our plan to go hang gliding without having had any training

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unlikely
not likely to be true or to occur made the dubious claim of being of royal blood

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in skeptical
not feeling sure about the truth, wisdom, or trustworthiness of someone or something dubious about a diet that claims I can eat all I want and still lose weight

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How does the adjective dubious contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of dubious are doubtful, problematic, and questionable. While all these words mean "not affording assurance of the worth, soundness, or certainty of something," dubious stresses suspicion, mistrust, or hesitation.

dubious about the practicality of the scheme

When would doubtful be a good substitute for dubious?

The meanings of doubtful and dubious largely overlap; however, doubtful implies little more than a lack of conviction or certainty.

doubtful about whether I said the right thing

Where would problematic be a reasonable alternative to dubious?

While in some cases nearly identical to dubious, problematic applies especially to things whose existence, meaning, fulfillment, or realization is highly uncertain.

whether the project will ever be finished is problematic

When could questionable be used to replace dubious?

The words questionable and dubious can be used in similar contexts, but questionable may imply no more than the existence of doubt but usually suggests that the suspicions are well-grounded.

a man of questionable honesty

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dubious There’s something dubious about this mythology—why has a real-life, much oppressed ethnicity been made cinematically synonymous with a league of contract killers?—but its development, nonetheless, has been engrossing by dint of its complexity. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 5 June 2025 Tom Thibodeau joined former Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown on a dubious list Tuesday when he was fired after five seasons as head coach of the New York Knicks. —Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 4 June 2025 An Associated Press investigation, in collaboration with Frontline (PBS), last year reported dubious child-gathering practices and fraudulent paperwork involving South Korea's foreign adoption program, which peaked in the 1970s and '80s amid huge Western demands for babies. —The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 3 June 2025 Sakara also has health supplements (which can be scientifically dubious), like a metabolism booster and fulvic acid cell reset. —Molly Higgins, Wired News, 29 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for dubious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dubious
  1. questionable
  2. reluctant
  3. unlikely
  4. skeptical
  5. hesitant
  6. unsure
  7. suspicious
  8. doubtful
Adjective
  • Technical guardrails help ensure agents stay within scope and flag questionable output for human review.
    — Spencer Dorn, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to LA, and, under a questionable legal basis, the Secretary of Defense has put Marines at Camp Pendleton on alert.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 8 June 2025
Definition of questionable
Adjective
  • Elsewhere in the country, too, state agencies and providers that rely on SAMHSA funding and technical support are feeling isolated, lost and reluctant to reach out to the federal staff left at the agency, says Dr. Eric Rafla-Yuan, a psychiatrist in San Diego, Calif.
    — Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 6 June 2025
  • Jobless claims — a proxy for layoffs — still remain low by historical standards, suggesting that employers are reluctant to cut staff despite uncertainty over Trump’s policies.
    — Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
Definition of reluctant
Adjective
  • But this scenario assumes crypto stands still while quantum computing advances, which is highly unlikely.
    — Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
  • Khamenei’s zealotry is very unlikely to outlive him in Iran’s highest echelons of power.
    — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 June 2025
Definition of unlikely
Adjective
  • When Miramar native Evans St. Fort opened St. Fort’s Funeral Home in North Miami Beach in 2003, clients were skeptical of a funeral director still in his 20s.
    — Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 12 June 2025
  • In underbanked markets—particularly those plagued by high rates of online fraud—newer fintechs must work hard to win the trust of customers who might be skeptical about using digital services.
    — Murtaza Ali, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
Definition of skeptical
Adjective
  • Kwame was hesitant to take the plunge for several reasons, the most prominent being his mother's refusal to attend the wedding.
    — Randall Colburn, EW.com, 13 June 2025
  • Businesses that have invested years in tailoring their systems may be hesitant to risk functionality loss or reintegrate complex tools.
    — Eric Giesecke, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
Definition of hesitant
Adjective
  • Fewer than half of U.S. businesses report having a formal crisis communication plan, and 23% either don’t have one or are unsure if a plan exists.
    — Nicole Tidei, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
  • When Ginny & Georgia’s Brianne Howey entered the courtroom set for Season 3, she was tasked with playing a new version of her usually confident and cunning character– one that was now afraid, powerless, and exceedingly unsure of herself.
    — Jennifer Adams, StyleCaster, 5 June 2025
Definition of unsure
Adjective
  • Quiet Skies was revealed in 2018 by The Boston Globe, which said the program deployed air marshals, who fly armed and undercover to thwart terrorists, to track dozens of suspicious travelers daily.
    — Josh Meyer, USA Today, 6 June 2025
  • Most of the calls were for more minor problems, such as trespassing and suspicious people, but three were related to battery, one for reported gunshots, another for an armed disturbance and one for a wanted person, the records show.
    — Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 June 2025
Definition of suspicious
Adjective
  • Trump and Musk will meet by the end of the year—giving that likelihood a 57 percent chance—but are doubtful that a meeting will come in the coming weeks.
    — Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
  • Initially doubtful of her claim to survivor status, she’s emboldened by her female friends to speak openly of her experience, which in turn becomes the cause célèbre that carries the entire movement.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 May 2025
Definition of doubtful

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dubiety
dubious
dubiously
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Cite this Entry

“Dubious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dubious. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

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