questioning

1 of 2

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

2 of 2

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

Adjective

a naturally questioning person, she demands rock-solid proof before she believes anything

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Doing Business Casual With a Bomber Jacket As India’s armed forces began their search for the attackers, demolishing the homes of people identified as suspects in Kashmir and detaining thousands for questioning, the two countries also exchanged gunfire along their border. —Anupreeta Das, New York Times, 1 May 2025

Each juror will either be excused for cause or asked to return to the main courtroom for further questioning. —Adam Reiss, NBC news, 1 May 2025

For his part, Isaacman largely held a firm line during his questioning, committing to NASA's current programs like Artemis, tacking on bigger-picture goals like a crewed Mars mission, while stopping short of full-on commitments to specific policy changes at the agency. —Josh Dinner, Space.com, 29 Apr. 2025

During his questioning, Beckham was cleared, but also revealed that two other classmates and friends — Adamcik and Draper — had stopped by the house the night of the crime. —Jordana Comiter, People.com, 28 Apr. 2025

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

Rhymes for questioning

• unquestioning

Kids Definition

questioning

1 of 2 noun

ques·​tion·​ing

: the activity or process of asking questions

questioning

2 of 2 adjective

1

: expressing or implying a question

a questioning look

2

: inclined to ask questions or seek information : inquisitive

a questioning mind

questioningly adverb