dubious

du·bi·ous

(do͞o′bē-əs, dyo͞o′-)

adj.

1. Fraught with uncertainty or doubt; undecided.

2. Arousing doubt; doubtful: a dubious distinction.

3. Of questionable character: dubious profits.

du′bi·ous·ly adv.

du′bi·ous·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

dubious

(ˈdjuːbɪəs)

adj

1. marked by or causing doubt: a dubious reply.

2. unsettled in mind; uncertain; doubtful

3. of doubtful quality; untrustworthy: a dubious reputation.

4. not certain in outcome

[C16: from Latin dubius wavering]

ˈdubiously adv

ˈdubiousness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

du•bi•ous

(ˈdu bi əs, ˈdyu-)

adj.

1. marked by or occasioning doubt; equivocal: a dubious reply.

2. of doubtful quality or propriety; questionable: a dubious compliment.

3. of uncertain outcome.

4. wavering in opinion; inclined to doubt; hesitant.

[1540–50; < Latin dubius; see -ous]

du′bi•ous•ly, adv.

du′bi•ous•ness, n.

doubtful

– dubious – suspicious

1. 'doubtful'

If you feel doubtful about something, you are unsure about it or about whether it will happen or be successful.

Do you feel insecure and doubtful about your ability?

It was doubtful he would ever see her again.

2. 'dubious'

If you are dubious about something, you are not sure whether it is the right thing to do.

Alison sounded very dubious.

The men in charge were a bit dubious about taking women on.

If you describe something as dubious, you think it is not completely honest, safe, or reliable.

...his dubious abilities as a teacher.

3. 'suspicious'

If you are suspicious of a person, you do not trust them and think they might be involved in something dishonest or illegal.

I am suspicious of his intentions.

Miss Lenaut had grown suspicious.

If you describe something as suspicious, it suggests behaviour that is dishonest, illegal, or dangerous.

He listened for any suspicious sounds.

...in suspicious circumstances.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.	1.	dubious - fraught with uncertainty or doubt; "they were doubtful that the cord would hold"; "it was doubtful whether she would be admitted"; "dubious about agreeing to go" incertain, uncertain, unsure - lacking or indicating lack of confidence or assurance; "uncertain of his convictions"; "unsure of himself and his future"; "moving with uncertain (or unsure) steps"; "an uncertain smile"; "touched the ornaments with uncertain fingers"
	2.	dubious - open to doubt or suspicion; "the candidate's doubtful past"; "he has a dubious record indeed"; "what one found uncertain the other found dubious or downright false"; "it was more than dubitable whether the friend was as influential as she thought"- Karen Horney questionable - subject to question; "questionable motives"; "a questionable reputation"; "a fire of questionable origin"
	3.	dubious - not convinced; "they admitted the force of my argument but remained dubious" unconvinced - lacking conviction; "I remain unconvinced"

dubious

adjective

1. suspect, suspicious, crooked, dodgy (Brit., Austral., & N.Z. informal), questionable, unreliable, shady (informal), unscrupulous, fishy (informal), disreputable, untrustworthy, undependable dubious business dealings
suspect reliable, dependable, trustworthy

2. unsure, uncertain, suspicious, hesitating, doubtful, sceptical, tentative, wavering, hesitant, undecided, unconvinced, iffy (informal), leery (slang), distrustful, in two minds (informal) My parents were a bit dubious about it all.
unsure sure, certain, positive, definite

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

dubious

adjective

1. Experiencing doubt:

Idiom: in doubt.

2. Not affording certainty:

ambiguous, borderline, chancy, clouded, doubtful, dubitable, equivocal, inconclusive, indecisive, indeterminate, problematic, problematical, questionable, uncertain, unclear, unsure.

Translations

شاكُّ، مُشْتَبِهمُريِبمُشْتَبَه فيه، مَشْكوكٌ فيه

pochybnýpochybujícínejistý

tvivlsomdubiøsmistænkelig

epäilyttävä

dvojben

efins, hikandivafasamur

怪しげな

의심스러운

abejotinas dalykasnetikrumas

apšaubāmsšaubīgsšaubīties

tvivelaktig

น่าสงสัย

đáng ngờ

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

dubious

[ˈdjuːbiəs] adj

(= open to question) [reputation, record, company] → douteux/euse; [claim] → suspect(e)
to have the dubious honour of being ... → avoir le triste honneur d'être ...
to have the dubious distinction of being ... → avoir la triste distinction d'être ...
to have the dubious pleasure of seeing ... → avoir le privilège peu enviable de voir ...

dubious

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

dubious

[ˈdjuːbɪəs] adj (gen) → dubbio/a; (look, smile) → dubbioso/a; (character, manner) → ambiguo/a, equivoco/a
to feel dubious about or as to what to do next → essere incerto/a sul da farsi
I'm very dubious about it → ho i miei dubbi in proposito

dubious

(ˈdjuːbiəs) adjective

1. doubtful. I am dubious about the wisdom of this action.

2. probably not honest. dubious behaviour.

dubiety (djuˈbaiəti) noun

(formal) doubt; dubiousness.

ˈdubiousness noun

doubtfulness.

dubious

→ مُريِب pochybný tvivlsom zweifelhaft διφορούμενος dudoso epäilyttävä douteux dvojben incerto 怪しげな 의심스러운 dubieus tvilsom wątpliwy duvidoso сомнительный tvivelaktig น่าสงสัย kuşkulu đáng ngờ 暧昧的