questioning

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noun

ques·​tion·​ing ˈkwes-chə-niŋ 

ˈkwesh-

plural questionings

: the activity or process of asking questions

Illocutionary acts … such as stating, questioning, promising, or commanding.

—Ronald Wardhaugh

… serious questionings of the relation between art and life …

—J. Dennis Huston

Her folks and very pregnant sister met us at the restaurant, and it didn't take long for me to warm up to them. After sweating through a few rounds of questioning, I felt a little more at ease …

—Cosmopolitan

The time had also passed for any further questioning about what genes were. The name of the game was DNA.

—James D. Watson et al.

often : judicial interrogation

As she continued her questioning, she found herself pounding the witness stand, her voice rising in accusation until it was a scream.

—Carol Lynn Mithers

The FBI has seized your computers and brought you in for questioning.

—Graham P. Collins

CNN made a disconcerting habit of breaking away for commercials without regard to what was happening in the court—often in the middle of a line of questioning.

—David Hiltbrand

questioning

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adjective

1

: expressing or implying a question

a questioning look

… looking at her with a questioning and rather startled gaze.

—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

2

: inclined to ask questions or seek information : inquisitive

The changes of direction are partly explained by this questioning attitude, and partly by his having written the book over twenty years.

—Sarah Bakewell

For a man with as questioning a mind as Charles Darwin's there was no danger of mental vegetation.

—Ronald W. Clark

3

: uncertain about or engaged in exploring one's own sexual or gender identity

Suburban Connecticut's first support group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning youths had just begun, and Alex was proving how desperately it was needed.

—Dan Woog

Facebook provides more than 50 options beyond "male" and "female" for users to describe their gender identity, from "gender questioning" and "neither" to "androgynous."

—Chicago Tribune

questioningly adverb

I stared questioningly at Mama, not really understanding.

—Mildred D. Taylor

The bartender came over and looked questioningly at Julie. "I'll have a Scotch sour on the rocks," she said.

—Robert B. Parker

Synonyms

Adjective

• disbelieving
• distrustful
• doubting
• incredulous
• mistrustful
• negativistic
• show-me
• skeptical
• suspecting
• suspicious
• unbelieving

Examples of questioning in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

One expert described Alito's line of questioning as stepping through the looking glass into an alternate reality. —Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2024

On Nov 4, 2019, investigators asked Colby Trickle to return for more questioning. —Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2024

The first half-hour of questioning for Turner came from the four female justices, including conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who questioned the point of bringing the case to the court if, as Turner argued, there is no discord between state and federal law. —Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 25 Apr. 2024

His relationship with Trump was not discussed, but he is expected to return for further questioning. —Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2024

The potential alternate has been brought in for additional questioning. —USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024

In the middle of questioning, Thompson is distracted by the sight of two men who resemble the titular characters of Beavis and Butt-Head, played by guest host Ryan Gosling and cast member Mikey Day. —Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024

The defense’s line of questioning seems intended to lead to doubts about the trustworthiness of evidence. —James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024

The permissibility of that line of questioning remains to be seen. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing questioning

• self-questioning