doubtful

play

adjective doubt·ful \ˈdau̇t-fəl\

Definition of doubtful

1 : giving rise to doubt or uncertainty : open to question It is doubtful that they ever knew what happened. a doubtful premise
2a : lacking a definite opinion, conviction, or determination They were doubtful about the advantages of the new system.b : uncertain in outcome : undecided The outcome of the election remains doubtful.
3 : marked by qualities that raise doubts about worth, honesty, or validity of doubtful repute

doubtfully

play \-fə-lē\ adverb

doubtfulness

noun

See doubtful defined for English-language learners

See doubtful defined for kids

Examples of doubtful in a Sentence

I tried to reassure them, but they remained doubtful.
The truth of the statements was doubtful.
Their decisions were based on data of doubtful accuracy.

Recent Examples of doubtful from the Web

The commission is aimed at investigating President Trump’s doubtful claims that widespread voter fraud caused him to lose the popular vote in last November’s election.

— david z. morris, Fortune, "White House Releases Personal Data of Voters Who Complained About Voting Records Probe," 15 July 2017
Doubtful and more like a long-term project, although Maxi Kleber does hail from Dirk Nowitzki’s hometown of Wurzburg, Germany.

— roger pinckney, star-telegram, "Mavericks sign forward from Nowitzki’s hometown in Germany," 13 July 2017
Barring the government investing in such new sectors as renewable energy or high-speed rail — unlikely under Republican control — significantly raising manufacturing employment seems doubtful.

— jon talton, The Seattle Times, "Manufacturing’s latest threat: An auto slowdown," 5 July 2017
In L.A., Drake Bell also hosted a birthday party, complete with a cake covered in shirtless magazine shots of himself (whether Josh Peck received an invite is … doubtful).

— sarah nechamkin, The Cut, "Gal Gadot and Drake Bell Partied This Week," 30 June 2017
The Wings are hoping to add a veteran defenseman with a bit of offense to him when the market opens Saturday, but signings beyond that are doubtful.

— helene st. james, Detroit Free Press, "St. James: Red Wings to rely more on young stars, less on free agency," 29 June 2017
Whether that leaves room for diplomacy in Hamburg is doubtful, but nothing useful can emerge unless Trump clears his fuzzy view of Putin.

— trudy rubin, Philly.com, "Where is the Syria strategy?," 29 June 2017
Its highly doubtful that even the most optimistic Fire fan saw that coming.

— alexander abnos, SI.com, "MLS Power Rankings Week 17: Picking every club's midseason MVP," 27 June 2017
But Martin Perez is doubtful for his start against the Indians after a freak accident that resulted in a broken bone in the tip of his right/non-throwing thumb.

— jeff wilson, star-telegram.com, "Rangers’ Perez breaks right thumb, could miss next start," 23 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'doubtful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of doubtful

see ¹doubt

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of doubtful

doubtful, dubious, problematic, questionable 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 dubious stresses suspicion, mistrust, or hesitation. dubious about the practicality of the scheme problematic applies especially to things whose existence, meaning, fulfillment, or realization is highly uncertain. whether the project will ever be finished is problematic questionable may imply no more than the existence of doubt but usually suggests that the suspicions are well-grounded. a man of questionable honesty

DOUBTFUL Defined for English Language Learners

doubtful

play

adjective

Definition of doubtful for English Language Learners

: uncertain or unsure about something
: not likely to be true : not probable
: likely to be bad : not worthy of trust

DOUBTFUL Defined for Kids

doubtful

play

adjective doubt·ful \ˈdau̇t-fəl\

Definition of doubtful for Students

1 : undecided or unsure about something I'm doubtful we'll make it on time. Minli was a little doubtful about riding the dragon. — Grace Lin, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
2 : not likely to be true a doubtful claim
3 : not likely to be good doubtful quality
4 : not certain in outcome a doubtful future