dubious

adjective

du·​bi·​ous ˈdü-bē-əs 

 also  dyü-

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

dubiously adverb

dubiousness noun

Did you know?

There's No Uncertainty Around the Definition of Dubious

Pop music pop quiz—which musical act had a hit with the song “Ooby Dooby”: 1950s rock-and-roll legend Roy Orbison or 1970s soft rock groovers the Doobie Brothers? Perhaps you’re dubious that the Doobies would do “Ooby Dooby.” Too obvious. On the other hand, Orbison may represent the more dubious choice if you’re an “Ooby Dooby” newbie. Regardless of which way you waffle, however, we think you’ll appreciate dubious as a word that does double duty, meaning both “uncertain or doubtful” (as in “dubious that the Doobies would do…”) and “giving rise to uncertainty as to outcome, quality, or nature” (as in “dubious choice”). And we know without a doubt that dubious comes from the Latin verb dubare, meaning “to hesitate in choice of opinions or courses,” which in turn shares roots with the Latin word duo, meaning “two.” Oh, and if you’re still of two minds about our music quiz, the answer is Orbison.

Synonyms

• questionable
• disputable
• problematical
• suspicious
• doubtful
• problematic
• debatable

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web

But the mark also represented Hackman's inability to turn down dubious projects. —Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025

Connecticut now holds the dubious distinction of having the worst regulatory environment in the country, with unaffordable electric bills and toxic relations between PURA and utility companies. —Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 30 June 2025

Such was the case for one unfortunate man in China who made the near-fatal decision to eat some dubious street food. —ArsTechnica, 27 June 2025

Just as his dubious surname evokes doubts about his real identity, Joe’s outward-facing persona doesn’t exactly line up with his dangerous hobby. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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Kids Definition

dubious

adjective

du·​bi·​ous ˈd(y)ü-bē-əs 

1

: causing doubt : uncertain

a dubious honor

2

: feeling doubt : undecided

dubious about our chances in the race

3

: of uncertain outcome

a dubious struggle

4

: questionable in value, quality, or origin

won by dubious means

dubiously adverb

dubiousness noun