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V2 Vocabulary Building Dictionary


dubious

adjective

Definition: 1. open to doubt or suspicion; 2. unconvinced

Synonyms: questionable, doubtful, unconvincing, uncertain, skeptical, suspect, suspicious, unconvinced

Antonyms: certain, sound, sure

Tips: Dubious is derived from Latin dubius, “doubtful.” The underlying meaning was, “split between two choices.” Think of combining the words duo (two) and suspicious (doubtful). If something you are seeing or hearing is probably not true and there appears to be another side to the story, you would characterize it as dubious. The difference between dubious and doubtful is that doubtful refers to a question or doubt in the mind of an observer, whereas dubious tends to refer to uncertainty inherent in a situation. If something appeared dubious, you would doubt the veracity (truthfulness) of it.

Usage Examples:

This artifact has rather dubious origins. (questionable, suspect)

She thinks his friends are of dubious character. (suspicious, untrustworthy)

To some, self-administered herbal medicine is a dubious practice. (questionable)

I was dubious about the idea, but my boss was convinced that it would be a success. (skeptical, unconvinced)


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