dubious

adjective du·bi·ous \ ˈdü-bē-əs also dyü- \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of dubious

1 : unsettled in opinion : doubtful

I was dubious about the plan.

2 : giving rise to uncertainty: such as

a : of doubtful promise or outcome

a dubious plan

b : questionable or suspect as to true nature or quality

the practice is of dubious legality

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dubiously

adverb

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dubiousness

noun

See dubious defined for English-language learners

See dubious defined for kids

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Examples of dubious in a Sentence

The recent rumbles and ruptures in the financial markets are finally making people reassess the dubious systems of credit that have arisen in the past few years. —William Safire, New York Times Magazine, 19 Aug. 2007
Thus, the translation of the Latin word biographus as "a biography," and the limitation of "biographies" to written, printed histories of men, was perhaps inevitable. Poor Dryden was given the dubious honor of being the first to use the generic term—despite the fact that his phrase had been taken out of the context of biographical compilers, in a discussion of Plutarch. —Nigel Hamilton, Biography, 2007
That indeed is the crux of the matter. Today especially, when community-oriented policing is being introduced everywhere, it seems not only ethically dubious but self-defeating to engage in practices that at their best undermine trust and cooperation between citizens and law-enforcement officials and at their worst foster cynicism toward our legal system. —Edwin Dobb, Harper's, May 2002
To avoid fees, the new "relationship" minimum for checking accounts jumped from $2000 to as much as $6000. And what would customers get in exchange? The ability to take advantage of such a dubious new benefit as a consolidated monthly statement. —Consumer Reports, March 1996
He made the highly dubious claim that Elvis is still alive and living in Hawaii.
a man of dubious character

Recent Examples of dubious from the Web

His nomination stunned lawmakers, advocacy groups and former White House colleagues dubious of his qualifications or suspicious of Trump’s desire to expand a program that enables veterans to seek medical care outside the VA network.

— andrew degrandpre, BostonGlobe.com, "Ronny Jackson, Trump’s pick for Veterans Affairs, may pass up $1 million to join the Cabinet," 8 Apr. 2018
Fleabag was a dubious narrator, a fabulist with delusions of grandeur and a smart-ass retort for everyone.

— rachel syme, The New Republic, "In Killing Eve, Two Women Are Fed Up and Dangerous," 6 Apr. 2018
Over a drink The situation looked even more ethically dubious after a follow-up report in The New York Times published March 17 of this year.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "“I don’t f—ing care”: In wooing $67M from big alcohol, NIH nixed critical study," 3 Apr. 2018
On Thursday’s episode of the VH1 show, viewers are promised to hear Miz Cracker’s side of the story, which would seem to hang on a yellow dress of dubious intellectual property.

— morgan enos, Billboard, "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Queen Miz Cracker Says She Didn't Steal Aquaria's Fashion," 29 Mar. 2018
That dubious honor belongs to former series champion Bill Elliott, who endured a 226-race losing streak between victories at Darlington, S.C. in 1994 and Homestead, Fla. in 2001.

— mike hembree, USA TODAY, "Five takeaways: Clint Bowyer's behind-the-scenes weapon helped end long skid," 27 Mar. 2018
And the robot vulture is sitting on top of a bloody black hat, which probably indicates that Westworld’s more morally dubious guests are finally in the crosshairs.

— scott meslow, GQ, "HBO's Latest Westworld Season 2 Teaser Hides at Least One Weird Secret," 22 Mar. 2018
Cambridge Analytica has a history of dubious election tricks, and the firm has been prolific in securing international elections work - and often felt no need to hide its tactics.

— jordan robertson, Bloomberg.com, "Cambridge Analytica's Board Suspends CEO Nix Amid Inquiry," 20 Mar. 2018
That dubious honor goes to James G. Blaine, who filled the role for just nine months under President James Garfield in 1881.

— chris morris, Fortune, "Donald Trump Just Ousted Rex Tillerson. Was His Secretary of State Tenure the Shortest Ever?," 13 Mar. 2018

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

There's No Uncertainty Around The Definition of dubious

Dubious derives from the Latin verb dubare, meaning "to hesitate in choice of opinions or courses," and it is related to the Latin word for "two": duo. Dubious can be used to indicate uncertainty about the result of an action or the truth of a statement as well as about the uncertainty of a person and his or her character. In either case, it usually implies a feeling of doubt from suspicion, mistrust, or hesitation.

Origin and Etymology of dubious

Latin dubius, from dubare to vacillate; akin to Latin duo two — more at two

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First Known Use: 1548

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dubious Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of dubious

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

DUBIOUS Defined for English Language Learners

dubious

adjective

Definition of dubious for English Language Learners

: unsure or uncertain : feeling doubt about something
: causing doubt, uncertainty, or suspicion : likely to be bad or wrong
—used ironically in phrases like dubious honor and dubious distinction to describe something bad or undesirable as if it were an honor or achievement