dubious
adjective
du·bi·ous ˈdü-bē-əs 
also dyü-
1
: unsettled in opinion : doubtful
I was dubious about the plan.
2
: giving rise to uncertainty: such as
a
: of doubtful promise or outcome
a dubious plan
b
: questionable or suspect as to true nature or quality
the practice is of dubious legality
dubiously adverb
dubiousness noun
Did you know?
There's No Uncertainty Around the Definition of Dubious
Dubious derives from the Latin verb dubare, meaning "to hesitate in choice of opinions or courses," and it is related to the Latin word for "two": duo. Dubious can be used to indicate uncertainty about the result of an action or the truth of a statement as well as about the uncertainty of a person and his or her character. In either case, it usually implies a feeling of doubt from suspicion, mistrust, or hesitation.
Synonyms
- debatable
- disputable
- dodgy [chiefly British]
- doubtable
- doubtful
- dubitable
- equivocal
- fishy
- problematic
- problematical
- queer
- questionable
- shady
- shaky
- suspect
- suspicious
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The recent rumbles and ruptures in the financial markets are finally making people reassess the dubious systems of credit that have arisen in the past few years. 
William Safire, New York Times Magazine, 19 Aug. 2007 Thus, the translation of the Latin word biographus as "a biography," and the limitation of "biographies" to written, printed histories of men, was perhaps inevitable. Poor Dryden was given the dubious honor of being the first to use the generic term—despite the fact that his phrase had been taken out of the context of biographical compilers, in a discussion of Plutarch. Nigel Hamilton, Biography, 2007 That indeed is the crux of the matter. Today especially, when community-oriented policing is being introduced everywhere, it seems not only ethically dubious but self-defeating to engage in practices that at their best undermine trust and cooperation between citizens and law-enforcement officials and at their worst foster cynicism toward our legal system. Edwin Dobb, Harper's, May 2002 To avoid fees, the new "relationship" minimum for checking accounts jumped from $2000 to as much as $6000. And what would customers get in exchange? The ability to take advantage of such a dubious new benefit as a consolidated monthly statement. Consumer Reports, March 1996 He made the highly dubious claim that Elvis is still alive and living in Hawaii. a man of dubious character See More
William Safire, New York Times Magazine, 19 Aug. 2007 Thus, the translation of the Latin word biographus as "a biography," and the limitation of "biographies" to written, printed histories of men, was perhaps inevitable. Poor Dryden was given the dubious honor of being the first to use the generic term—despite the fact that his phrase had been taken out of the context of biographical compilers, in a discussion of Plutarch. Nigel Hamilton, Biography, 2007 That indeed is the crux of the matter. Today especially, when community-oriented policing is being introduced everywhere, it seems not only ethically dubious but self-defeating to engage in practices that at their best undermine trust and cooperation between citizens and law-enforcement officials and at their worst foster cynicism toward our legal system. Edwin Dobb, Harper's, May 2002 To avoid fees, the new "relationship" minimum for checking accounts jumped from $2000 to as much as $6000. And what would customers get in exchange? The ability to take advantage of such a dubious new benefit as a consolidated monthly statement. Consumer Reports, March 1996 He made the highly dubious claim that Elvis is still alive and living in Hawaii. a man of dubious character See More Recent Examples on the Web Here was another motive—the strongest and most dubious of all. George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2022 In addition to being legally dubious and economically reckless, Mr. Biden’s debt-cancellation plan will create incentives for schools and potential borrowers alike to act in ways that exacerbate the problem. Jason L. Riley, WSJ, 6 Sep. 2022 But understanding how women in the criminal circuit have been able to achieve a level of empowerment and dubious success, which women in Italy’s legal community still struggle for, is part of the history of Italy. Barbie Nadeau, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2022 First Freud’s patient in the 1920s, in 1930 Bullitt also became his collaborator, co-writing a dubious psychobiography of Woodrow Wilson. Patrick Blanchfield, The New Republic, 1 Sep. 2022 Many economists, though, are dubious of that assertion. Christopher Rugaber, Anchorage Daily News, 26 July 2022 Younger people, who historically have made up the majority of the college-going population, are especially dubious of higher education’s value. Chris Quintana, USA TODAY, 11 July 2022 That dubious honor goes to his predecessor, Donald Trump. Michael Collins, USA TODAY, 21 July 2022 Hong Kong had the dubious honor of coming in first place, with New York City, Geneva, London and Tokyo rounding out the top five. Lilit Marcus, CNN, 23 June 2022 See More
George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2022 In addition to being legally dubious and economically reckless, Mr. Biden’s debt-cancellation plan will create incentives for schools and potential borrowers alike to act in ways that exacerbate the problem. Jason L. Riley, WSJ, 6 Sep. 2022 But understanding how women in the criminal circuit have been able to achieve a level of empowerment and dubious success, which women in Italy’s legal community still struggle for, is part of the history of Italy. Barbie Nadeau, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2022 First Freud’s patient in the 1920s, in 1930 Bullitt also became his collaborator, co-writing a dubious psychobiography of Woodrow Wilson. Patrick Blanchfield, The New Republic, 1 Sep. 2022 Many economists, though, are dubious of that assertion. Christopher Rugaber, Anchorage Daily News, 26 July 2022 Younger people, who historically have made up the majority of the college-going population, are especially dubious of higher education’s value. Chris Quintana, USA TODAY, 11 July 2022 That dubious honor goes to his predecessor, Donald Trump. Michael Collins, USA TODAY, 21 July 2022 Hong Kong had the dubious honor of coming in first place, with New York City, Geneva, London and Tokyo rounding out the top five. Lilit Marcus, CNN, 23 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin dubius, from dubare to vacillate; akin to Latin duo two — more at two
First Known Use
1548, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Kids Definition
dubious
adjective
du·bi·ous ˈdü-bē-əs
ˈdyü-
1
: causing doubt : uncertain
Our plans are dubious at this point.
2
: feeling doubt
I was dubious about our chances.
3
: questionable sense 1
… they all began discussing dragon-slayings historical, dubious, and mythical … J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbitdubious
adjective
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- questionable
- disputable
- suspicious
- doubtful
- problematic
- debatable
- suspect
- problematical
- shaky
- ambiguous
- alleged
- fishy
- dodgy
- equivocal
- shady
- unclear
- dubitable
- queer
- doubtable
- supposed
- unlikely
- uncertain
- weak
- improbable
- moot
- flimsy
- undetermined
- so-called
- undecided
- far-fetched
- open
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unquestionable
- certain
- indisputable
- undeniable
- unproblematic
- indubitable
- undoubted
- incontestable
- sure
- obvious
- questionless
- definitive
- decisive
- positive
- clear
- hands-down
- open-and-shut
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
- reluctant
- hesitant
- skeptical
- unsure
- uncertain
- loathe
- disinclined
- loath
- cagey
- doubtful
- cagy
- unwilling
- reticent
- questioning
- unenthusiastic
- indisposed
- ambivalent
- timid
- conflicted
- loth
- averse
- wobbly
- faltering
- vacillating
- halting
- irresolute
- wabbly
- infirm
- indecisive
- undecided
- uneager
- fainthearted
- shy
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- enthusiastic
- eager
- happy
- inclined
- certain
- glad
- keen
- willing
- sure
- decided
- ready
- disposed
- determined
- resolute
- unquestioning
3
as in unlikely
not likely to be true or to occur made the dubious claim of being of royal blood Synonyms & Similar Words
- unlikely
- questionable
- doubtful
- improbable
- odd
- flimsy
- bizarre
- far-fetched
- implausible
- incredible
- ridiculous
- impossible
- unbelievable
- unapt
- absurd
- inconceivable
- fantastical
- nonsensical
- unimaginable
- unthinkable
- fantastic
- outlandish
- preposterous
- foolish
- insane
- unreal
- crazy
- outside
- slight
- wild
- remote
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- probable
- plausible
- likely
- credible
- possible
- potential
- conceivable
- earthly
- believable
- imaginable
- liable
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
- skeptical
- unsure
- suspicious
- uncertain
- doubtful
- unconvinced
- unsettled
- distrustful
- mistrustful
- undecided
- ambivalent
- hesitant
- trustless
- conflicted
- hinky
- equivocal
- diffident
- on the fence
- insecure
- vacillating
- halting
- wavering
- irresolute
- indecisive
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- certain
- positive
- convinced
- sure
- confident
- assured
- sanguine
- decisive
- self-assured
- determined
- resolute
Synonym Chooser
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
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
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
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