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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective questionable contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of questionable are doubtful, dubious, and problematic. While all these words mean "not affording assurance of the worth, soundness, or certainty of something," questionable may imply no more than the existence of doubt but usually suggests that the suspicions are well-grounded.

a man of questionable honesty

Where would doubtful be a reasonable alternative to questionable?

The words doubtful and questionable can be used in similar contexts, but doubtful implies little more than a lack of conviction or certainty.

doubtful about whether I said the right thing

In what contexts can dubious take the place of questionable?

While the synonyms dubious and questionable are close in meaning, dubious stresses suspicion, mistrust, or hesitation.

dubious about the practicality of the scheme

When is it sensible to use problematic instead of questionable?

The synonyms problematic and questionable are sometimes interchangeable, but problematic applies especially to things whose existence, meaning, fulfillment, or realization is highly uncertain.

whether the project will ever be finished is problematic

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 questionable Karl-Anthony Towns missed Tuesday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to personal reasons, with head coach Tom Thibodeau ruling him out pregame after the team initially listed him as questionable. Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 5 Mar. 2025 Vasquez and Yancy aren’t the only aldermen over the years who’ve taken apparent contradictory stances on issues or who have skipped votes for questionable reasons. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025 The probe revealed that the village's general fund had diminished from a $5.6 million surplus in 2022 to a $3.6 million deficit in 2024, raising concerns about questionable credit card purchases and a lack of financial accountability. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 3 Mar. 2025 Though Landis survived impeachment, the American Bar Association didn’t let him off so easily, censuring him for his questionable career juggling. Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for questionable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for questionable
Adjective
  • Then, in early 2025, a certain South African’s activity on social media, the acquisition of Twitter, a frenzied foray into politics, a few dubious salutes, and now the brand is imploding.
    Peter Lyon, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
  • But mobster Reggie Fontaine (Freeman), who’s been bankrolling Max’s dubious projects, is not at all amused.
    Joe Leydon, Variety, 5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Furthermore, with Florian Wirtz walking off the pitch with an injury today, a Leverkusen comeback is even more unlikely.
    Manuel Veth, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Season 1 of the series, which follows the unlikely romance between an agnostic podcaster and a rabbi, spent six weeks in Netflix’s Global English Top 10 TV List and reached the Top 10 in 89 countries.
    Lynette Rice, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Again, if the goal is to increase American manufacturing jobs, that's debatable.
    Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 13 Feb. 2025
  • Whether Chappelle needed this advice or not is debatable, given that Chappelle is undoubtedly a seasoned performer.
    Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Holiday and Porzingis had been listed as doubtful after sitting out the previous two games.
    Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 5 Mar. 2025
  • But if a player is injured, he is injured, with Andrew Wiggins listed as doubtful for Sunday against the Knicks.
    Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • While many countries, states and major companies have taken steps to ban problematic plastics and set ambitious goals for waste reduction, the collective effort is still falling far short of what's needed to stem the tide of plastic waste.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Gold may be a good store of value but can be problematic as a medium of exchange, particularly in breaking deflationary spirals and supporting economic growth.
    Jon Helgi Egilsson, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Between something that felt safer, more glamorous and more crowd pleasing, versus something that was a bit more potentially controversial, or something that some people might understand or not understand.
    Alison Edmond, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2025
  • But to partially offset the cost, the House makes a different, highly controversial assumption: Extending the TCJA, improving government efficiency, and adopting unspecified changes to federal regulations would raise $2.6 trillion over the next 10 years by boosting economic growth.
    Howard Gleckman, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The Context Since Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, a series of mysterious deaths have claimed the lives of prominent Russian figures, including tycoons, businessmen and oil executives—many of whom reportedly fell from windows under suspicious circumstances.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
  • This is one reason why events of recent years have gained the attention of the world's government as Baltic Sea cables have been repeatedly cut under suspicious circumstances – especially around Finland and Sweden.
    David Szondy, New Atlas, 1 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Questionable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/questionable. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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