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Definition of dubious
1 : giving rise to uncertainty: such asa : of doubtful promise or outcome a dubious planb : questionable or suspect as to true nature or quality the practice is of dubious legality
2 : unsettled in opinion : doubtful I was dubious about the plan.
dubiously
adverbdubiousness
nounRead the Latest from M-W
dubious was our Word of the Day on 07/25/2015. Hear the podcast!
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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
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Much opposition to the Republican effort to repeal and replace Obamacare has coalesced around a dubious talking point that Medicaid expansion is the best way to fix the opioid crisis.
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After a highly dubious trial, replete with a macabre reenactment, the murder of British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller in September 2014 was blamed on two Burmese nationals, who were then sentenced to death.
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That seed flotilla was suggested by the kitchen, said Cornils, dubious at first.
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While Indiana has earned the dubious distinction of being the first state to preempt cities from enacting their own ‘
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Much to the dismay of many advisers, the late chancellor rammed through an economically dubious currency union in July 1990 that allowed East Germans to trade in their shaky eastmarks on a one-to-one basis for the powerful West German legal tender.
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The Texas bill’s clinical trial and IRB requirements seem to weed out some dubious therapies, but the language is too nebulous to protect patients, says Beth Roxland, a bioethicist at New York University’s Langone Medical Center in New York City.
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That dubious distinction hasn’t discouraged Hall and a few other Dexter veterans from attempting to bring shoe manufacturing back to Maine, at least in a small way.
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Sign Up The IS group often claims attacks around the world, even when links to the group cannot be confirmed and appear dubious.
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
Synonym Discussion of dubious
DUBIOUS Defined for English Language Learners
dubious
playDefinition of dubious for English Language Learners
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: unsure or uncertain : feeling doubt about something
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: causing doubt, uncertainty, or suspicion : likely to be bad or wrong
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—used ironically in phrases like dubious honor and dubious distinction to describe something bad or undesirable as if it were an honor or achievement
DUBIOUS Defined for Kids
dubious
playDefinition of dubious for Students
1 : causing doubt : uncertain Our plans are dubious at this point.
2 : feeling doubt I was dubious about our chances.
3 : questionable 1 … they all began discussing dragon-slayings historical, dubious, and mythical … — J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
dubiously
adverbLearn More about dubious
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See words that rhyme with dubious Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dubious Spanish Central: Translation of dubious Nglish: Translation of dubious for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of dubious for Arabic speakers
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