debatable

adjective

di-ˈbā-tə-bəl How to pronounce debatable (audio)
Definition of debatablenext
1
as in questionable
open to question or dispute it's always debatable which college football team is really number one, since there's more than one ranking system

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disputable
giving good reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged the debatable wisdom of going back for another helping from the buffet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of debatable When penalty calls or red cards remain debatable, people can become frustrated. — Pooya Tabesh, The Conversation, 30 July 2026 For now, the Purdy-Jones fit could be the NFL’s best quarterback pairing, debatable with Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Joe Flacco. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 16 July 2026 Whether the controversy truly affected the game remains debatable. — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026 Whether these features will be useful in your daily life is debatable. — Christian De Looper, PC Magazine, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for debatable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debatable
  1. questionable
  2. disputable
  3. arguable
  4. dubious
  5. problematic
  6. doubtful
  7. suspicious
Adjective
  • Stokes was off the injury report as of Monday, and Salaün was listed as questionable but looked to be a full participant in practice on Monday morning.
    — Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Forcing fans to cover XX-XY shirts wasn't merely a questionable judgment call.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of questionable
Adjective
  • However, disputable refereeing decisions, especially in the matches against Italy and Spain, led to allegations that South Korea may have benefited from favorable officiating.
    — Andrew Pereira, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 June 2026
  • Speech — Intimidation as censorship The First Amendment protects disputable speech, not agreeable.
    — Brielle Miller, Baltimore Sun, 9 Mar. 2026
Definition of disputable
Adjective
  • Pairing Diggs with McLaurin gives Washington arguable its best wide receiver duo since Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson each topped the 1,000-yard mark in 2016.
    — Ethan Cadeaux, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026
  • What’s less arguable is the quality of Kinnear’s performance, a fine study in comic understatement at first that modulates into a delicately limned portrait of pain barely stifled.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026
Definition of arguable
Adjective
  • SpaceX now has the dubious honor of being the first company to deface the moon, after a piece of one of its rockets crashed into Earth’s only natural satellite earlier this month.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Aug. 2026
  • HoverAir, an imprint of China's Zero Zero Robotics, has the dubious honor of being the first victim of the FCC's foreign drone ban.
    — Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of dubious
Adjective
  • Animal-rights groups have been problematic at times with the zoos.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Instagram users have always been able to block others — and, along with Meta’s oldest crown jewel, Facebook — the app has gradually added features for reporting problematic accounts and inappropriate content.
    — Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of problematic
Adjective
  • For much of last year, Head Start, the federal program that provides child-care and preschool services for low-income families, appeared to have a doubtful future.
    — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Even if the limb could be spared, its future usefulness was doubtful.
    — Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of doubtful
Adjective
  • The person asked for gas money and Bitcoin, requests the family found suspicious because Goods doesn't drive and didn't have a car in Las Vegas.
    — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The suspicious em dash—and the easily disprovable notion that only AI used them—was offered as a telltale sign.
    — M. C. Mah, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of suspicious

Browse Nearby Words

debasing
debatable
debate
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Cite this Entry

“Debatable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debatable. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of debatable for Spanish Speakers

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