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Synonym Chooser

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 But eliminating the penny via a social media post isn’t just legally dubious. Jay L. Zagorsky, The Conversation, 13 Feb. 2025 To make all of this a little more ethically dubious, add in the fact that in the creator economy, attention equals money. Kelsey McKinney, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2025 Vaccine backers are dubious that Cassidy will have much influence over Kennedy if he is confirmed as secretary of Health and Human Services. Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2025 Previously, the 2008 Sayre Fire in Sylmar that destroyed 604 structures held that dubious distinction. Denise Petski, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dubious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dubious
Adjective
  • Evans has missed the last three weeks with a sickness and is questionable for Tuesday’s game.
    Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2025
  • Cincinnati The decision to hire Scott Satterfield was questionable, and nothing during his Bearcats tenure has changed those initial doubts, as Satterfield is 8-16 in two seasons.
    Antonio Morales, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • But there is still hope among nine-game advocates that television money will come through and move the reluctant to agree to expand.
    The Athletic College Football, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
  • That reluctant to juice demand is exemplified by a wide gap in fiscal policies, namely the willingness to spend more than what comes in from tax revenue.
    BYJason Ma, Fortune, 16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • His deal also underscored an unlikely source of strength for a franchise in transition: stability.
    Tyler Kepner, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
  • Hocevar wrecked regular-season series champion Corey Heim in the 2023 Truck Series finale at Phoenix, when another crash ended up collecting fellow contender Grant Enfinger, leading to Ben Rhodes’ unlikely second career title.
    Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • But Gregory remains skeptical, and while Tea might not be my favorite person, the way Dr. G is shifting blame and disrespecting his wife is hard to ignore.
    Shelby Stewart, Essence, 24 Feb. 2025
  • Some experts and victims’ relatives remain skeptical that the suspects arrested were the true perpetrators.
    Faith Karimi, CNN, 23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Backyard Sports has never featured loot boxes or microtransactions, and locking a character like Pablo Sanchez behind an additional paywall would spark a fan revolt, causing parents to be hesitant to support the games.
    Jake Lang, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2025
  • Initially, the Warriors were hesitant to trade for Butler.
    The Athletic NBA Staff, The Athletic, 6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, police are unsure if the attacker acted on his own and are searching for other potential suspects.
    Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 15 Feb. 2025
  • Bernardo, on as a substitute, was unsure whether to press Martinez or wait to track the run of Bruno Fernandes, who had rotated wide.
    Liam Tharme, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • These tools continuously improve by learning from vast datasets, identifying synthetic media and flagging suspicious activity patterns.
    Dan Yerushalmi, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2025
  • The officer informs him that his license plate is missing and discovers a suspicious liquid dripping from the trunk.
    Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Skipper Lewis Dunk, deputy captain Danny Welbeck, and Dutch right-back Joel Veltman remain doubtful for tomorrow night’s home game against Bournemouth.
    Andy Naylor, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
  • South Africans Kagiso Rabada and David Miller are also among the big names that will be missing, while Steven Smith has been retained by Freedom although his availability is doubtful given his international commitments.
    Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dubious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dubious. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.

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