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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective doubtful contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of doubtful are dubious, problematic, and questionable. While all these words mean "not affording assurance of the worth, soundness, or certainty of something," doubtful implies little more than a lack of conviction or certainty.

doubtful about whether I said the right thing

When is dubious a more appropriate choice than doubtful?

The words dubious and doubtful are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, dubious stresses suspicion, mistrust, or hesitation.

dubious about the practicality of the scheme

When is it sensible to use problematic instead of doubtful?

While the synonyms problematic and doubtful are close in meaning, problematic applies especially to things whose existence, meaning, fulfillment, or realization is highly uncertain.

whether the project will ever be finished is problematic

When would questionable be a good substitute for doubtful?

While in some cases nearly identical to doubtful, questionable may imply no more than the existence of doubt but usually suggests that the suspicions are well-grounded.

a man of questionable honesty

Examples of doubtful in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Some analysts are doubtful But some analysts are doubtful Zoom can take on Microsoft and Google’s massive resources and long history in work solutions. Bysharon Goldman, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2024 Doubs was listed as doubtful to play Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams on Green Bay’s injury report. Rob Reischel, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2024 As for receivers, Buffalo’s Khalil Shakir is out, and Green Bay’s Romeo Doubs is considered doubtful. Kevin Cusick, Twin Cities, 4 Oct. 2024 The 49ers also deactivated safety Talanoa Hufanga, who was doubtful to delay his return from last November’s knee injury. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for doubtful 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'doubtful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near doubtful

Cite this Entry

“Doubtful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doubtful. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on doubtful

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