questionable
adjective
ques·tion·able ˈkwes-chə-nə-bəl 
ˈkwesh-,
in rapid speech ˈkwesh-nə-
1
obsolete : inviting inquiry
2
obsolete : liable to judicial inquiry or action
3
: affording reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged : not certain or exact : problematic
milk of questionable purity
a questionable decision
4
: attended by well-grounded suspicions of being immoral, crude, false, or unsound : dubious
questionable motives
questionableness noun
questionably
ˈkwes-chə-nə-blē
adverb ˈkwesh-
in rapid speech ˈkwesh-nə-
Synonyms
- debatable
- disputable
- dodgy [chiefly British]
- doubtable
- doubtful
- dubious
- dubitable
- equivocal
- fishy
- problematic
- problematical
- queer
- shady
- shaky
- suspect
- suspicious
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The truth of the statements was highly questionable. The water available in the village is of questionable quality. a man of questionable character They acquired the money through questionable means. The company is facing a questionable future.
Recent Examples on the Web Taurasi was ruled out for Thursday’s game with a right quad issue, but was upgraded as questionable on Friday. 
Jenna Ortiz, The Arizona Republic, 5 Aug. 2022 While their returns are a welcome sight for Timbers fans, another midfielder is listed as questionable due to a foot issue: Eryk Williamson. oregonlive, 8 July 2022 Perhaps equally concerning for Cincinnati is that defensive midfield stalwart Junior Moreno is listed as questionable on the club's health report going into the Philadelphia match. Pat Brennan, The Enquirer, 17 June 2022 Both entered the day listed as questionable on the injury report. C.j. Holmes, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 June 2022 The Celtics listed center Robert Williams III as questionable on Thursday with the left knee injury that required late-season surgery and kept him out for seven of the team’s first 14 playoff games. Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 10 June 2022 They were all previously listed as questionable earlier Thursday. USA TODAY, 3 June 2022 Also listed as questionable for the Heat ahead of Sunday night’s Game 7 were Kyle Lowry, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent with hamstring strains, and P.J. Tucker with knee irritation. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 29 May 2022 Butler, initially listed as questionable because of right knee inflammation, connected on just 3 of his 14 field goal attempts. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 24 May 2022 See More
Jenna Ortiz, The Arizona Republic, 5 Aug. 2022 While their returns are a welcome sight for Timbers fans, another midfielder is listed as questionable due to a foot issue: Eryk Williamson. oregonlive, 8 July 2022 Perhaps equally concerning for Cincinnati is that defensive midfield stalwart Junior Moreno is listed as questionable on the club's health report going into the Philadelphia match. Pat Brennan, The Enquirer, 17 June 2022 Both entered the day listed as questionable on the injury report. C.j. Holmes, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 June 2022 The Celtics listed center Robert Williams III as questionable on Thursday with the left knee injury that required late-season surgery and kept him out for seven of the team’s first 14 playoff games. Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 10 June 2022 They were all previously listed as questionable earlier Thursday. USA TODAY, 3 June 2022 Also listed as questionable for the Heat ahead of Sunday night’s Game 7 were Kyle Lowry, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent with hamstring strains, and P.J. Tucker with knee irritation. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 29 May 2022 Butler, initially listed as questionable because of right knee inflammation, connected on just 3 of his 14 field goal attempts. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 24 May 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
questionable
adjective
ques·tion·able ˈkwes-chə-nə-bəl
1
: not certain or exact : doubtful water of questionable purity
2
: not believed to be true, sound, or proper
Her motives are questionable.
questionable
adjective
1
as in dubious
giving good reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged the runner's unexpected first-place finish is questionable, so a drug test has been ordered Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- dubious
- disputable
- problematic
- debatable
- doubtful
- suspicious
- suspect
- problematical
- ambiguous
- shaky
- alleged
- dodgy
- fishy
- unclear
- shady
- equivocal
- dubitable
- queer
- doubtable
- supposed
- weak
- unlikely
- uncertain
- moot
- improbable
- undetermined
- flimsy
- so-called
- undecided
- far-fetched
- open
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unquestionable
- certain
- indisputable
- undeniable
- sure
- incontestable
- unproblematic
- undoubted
- indubitable
- questionless
- decisive
- obvious
- definitive
- positive
- clear
- hands-down
- open-and-shut
2
as in unlikely
not likely to be true or to occur it's questionable that he will show up tonight considering all the bad weather we're having Synonyms & Similar Words
- unlikely
- dubious
- doubtful
- improbable
- flimsy
- odd
- bizarre
- far-fetched
- incredible
- impossible
- implausible
- ridiculous
- unbelievable
- unapt
- absurd
- inconceivable
- unthinkable
- unimaginable
- fantastic
- fantastical
- outlandish
- nonsensical
- foolish
- preposterous
- insane
- unreal
- crazy
- outside
- wild
- slight
- remote
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- probable
- likely
- plausible
- possible
- potential
- conceivable
- credible
- earthly
- believable
- imaginable
- liable
3
as in disputable
open to question or dispute whether it will rain today or not is questionable Synonyms & Similar Words
- disputable
- debatable
- doubtful
- controversial
- disputed
- ambiguous
- arguable
- debated
- moot
- uncertain
- negotiable
- problematic
- dubious
- speculative
- problematical
- controvertible
- issuable
- iffy
- doubtable
- hypothetical
- refutable
- inconclusive
- shaky
- theoretical
- contradictable
- indecisive
- academic
- theoretic
- equivocal
- academical
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unquestionable
- indisputable
- certain
- positive
- undeniable
- sure
- incontestable
- unanswerable
- inarguable
- undebatable
- unarguable
- irrefutable
- indubitable
- incontrovertible
- definite
- questionless
- accomplished
- settled
- irrefragable
- unchallengeable
- unequivocal
- unambiguous
- decisive
- clear
- conclusive
- hands-down
- undisputed
- absolute
- uncontested
Synonym Chooser
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
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
While the synonyms dubious and questionable are close in meaning, dubious stresses suspicion, mistrust, or hesitation.
dubious about the practicality of the scheme
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
- self-good
- self-governance
- self-governed
- self-governing
- self-government
- self-grat
- self-gratification
- self-gratulation
- self-gratulatory
- self-guided
- self-guiding
- self-hardening
- self-hardening steel
- self-harm
- self-harmed
- self-harming
- self-harms
- self-hate
- self-hating
- self-hatred
- self-heal
- self-healing
- self-help
- self-heterodyne
- self-hu