as in skeptical
inclined to doubt or question claims
a naturally questioning person, she demands rock-solid proof before she believes anything
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in challenging
to demand proof of the truth or rightness of
the teenager openly questioned the authority of the town's police force to impose a curfew on residents under the age of 18
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pondering
to give serious and careful thought to
question your motives before you file the lawsuit: do you really care about the trees, or are you just trying to harass the neighbors?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in doubting
to have no trust or confidence in
it was apparent that voters were questioning the President's ability to manage the economy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in asking
to put a question or questions to
the press should be allowed to question public officials about any matter of general interest
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in interrogating
to put a series of questions to
the police questioned the suspect before deciding that there was insufficient evidence to hold him
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in inquiry
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 questioning
Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025
Whitehouse tried to bring the questioning back to suspicious activity around accounts linked to Epstein, and whether Bondi had reviewed Treasury reports on these.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Tom Nagorski, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
The hourlong episode is mostly host Caleb Hammer questioning her relatively normal, if unscrupulous spending — fast food, a visit to the hair salon, expensive car payments — and his advice on what bills to pay off first.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for questioning
Adjective
Based on the questioning of the six conservative justices, the Court appears poised to rule in favor of Chiles.
—Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025
Whitehouse tried to bring the questioning back to suspicious activity around accounts linked to Epstein, and whether Bondi had reviewed Treasury reports on these.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
Some 317 South Korean workers were detained for questioning about their visa status.
—Tom Nagorski, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
The hourlong episode is mostly host Caleb Hammer questioning her relatively normal, if unscrupulous spending — fast food, a visit to the hair salon, expensive car payments — and his advice on what bills to pay off first.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for questioning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for questioning
Adjective
-
Burnett urged those who received the calls to stay skeptical of anyone claiming to be a deputy and to not engage in conversation with them.—
David Clarey,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Some fans accepted the clarification, while others remained skeptical.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Intense Exercise Some doctors recommend avoiding challenging workouts right after getting a flu shot.—
Ashley Wong,
Health,
8 Oct. 2025
-
California filed two lawsuits—one challenging the seizure of its Guard units, which an appeals court upheld, and another that led a federal judge to rule the deployment violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits military involvement in domestic law enforcement.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Instead, the Mets are back to square one, pondering a new kind of disappointment.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Over a mashup of fiddles and guitars, Tod and Jennings blend their rough-hewn voices on a song about consequences for older vices and choices, pondering when the consequences of those actions outweigh the vices themselves.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Realizing his memory is failing him and deeply affected by the disappointing results of his last two plays, Pagnol starts doubting his ability to pursue his work.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
30 Sep. 2025
-
There's no doubting Parsons' end in Dallas was sour.—
Jacob Camenker,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Donovan isn’t asking Giddey or Kevin Huerter to transform into elite one-on-one defenders.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Advocates recommend reaching out and asking them to explain the denial.—
Duaa Eldeib,
ProPublica,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Instead of letting our legs carry us aimlessly down the road with our minds interrogating every step, our thumbs pose too simple a question to which our smartphones are pleased to give us too simple an answer.—
Paul Greenberg,
Time,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Both sides have also carried out arbitrary detentions, with SAF interrogating and beating dozens of Christians in 2024 and 2025.—
Paul Tilsley,
FOXNews.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The city received the inquiry while its lawyers were in court attempting to stop the deployment of National Guard troops to help protect federal property.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Exeter has described the current multistate inquiry as an extension of demands for information that started in 2015.—
Tony Schick,
ProPublica,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Pyongyang has long been accused of conducting suspicious transfers of goods between ships in the East China Sea, which is bordered by China, the Korean Peninsula, Japan and Taiwan.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Digital asset treasury companies face SEC and FINRA investigations for suspicious trading patterns around crypto announcements.—
Boaz Sobrado,
Forbes.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Questioning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/questioning. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share