Definition of questionablenext
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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 Also guilty of standing pat with no reason was New Orleans, another franchise infamous for questionable decision-making. Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 6 Feb. 2026 Outside linebacker Harold Landry III (knee) and linebacker Robert Spillane (ankle) are questionable to play. Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 6 Feb. 2026 Some questionable play-calling by the Falcons that didn’t milk the clock helped, but Brady willed his team to victory, leading them to a pair of touchdowns in the final six minutes of regulation. Greg Rajan, Houston Chronicle, 6 Feb. 2026 There’s also nothing to suggest that Chalamet did anything questionable, other than to be a young star allegedly acquiescing to his agents’ concerns about his public image. Martha Ross, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for questionable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for questionable
Adjective
  • The three central male characters — Mike, Lou, and Orman — all converge on the archetype of the lone wolf, a dubious label the collaboration-shirking Lou has taken on in his precinct, and one his colleagues are decidedly over.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Lake will retain the ability to undermine the broadcasters, but her expensive, monthslong, legally dubious attempt to destroy them has so far failed.
    The Atlantic, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • The series follows a teenage boy who forms an unlikely alliance with the Fairy Queen of Celtic lore to search for malevolent mythical creatures from around the world, among them the Yeti, Baba Yaga and a Lady Dracula — not to destroy them, but to save them from impending doom.
    Ed Meza, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Costco, by contrast, is betting that visible, if measured, support for diversity can coexist with—and even underpin—a booming business, turning the warehouse club into an unlikely bellwether for how far corporate America is willing to go in defying the president’s DEI directive.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Grappa is enjoyed as a digestif, though its ability to aid digestion after a large meal is debatable.
    Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Whether his work on Anderson’s woozy epic of resistance is his personal best is debatable — the competition is fierce.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • That disputable appraisal turned a few heads, and people began peppering the bot for further remarks on Musk’s physical prowess.
    Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2025
  • That time, a very disputable foul denied him.
    Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Injury report Heat forward Pelle Larsson is listed as doubtful for Sunday at Washington due to the elbow contusion sustained in Friday night’s loss in Boston, keeping him out for that second half.
    Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
  • But even if measles’ severe outcomes were more common, Limaye and others were doubtful that many more Americans would be moved to act.
    Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • But other parts of her story were problematic.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
  • But other parts of her story were problematic.
    Michael R. Sisak, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • For instance, one very controversial current issue is whether women can keep their original names, the names they’re born with, after getting married.
    Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Another theory posited that the 64 was a reference to the initial government death toll for 2017's Hurricane Maria, a controversial claim that was eventually corrected to 1,427.
    Edward Segarra, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • The county had engaged with the family three times before his death, including over reports of suspicious injuries.
    Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2026
  • Clase is accused of throwing suspicious pitches to benefit those who placed wagers on him in at least 48 games, according to ESPN.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Questionable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/questionable. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on questionable

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