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adj

dubious

JOO-bee-uhs
adj
1
Causing doubt or suspicion; of questionable quality or honesty.
"He made a dubious claim about curing illness with crystals."
"The company's dubious accounting practices eventually caught up with it."
2
Feeling uncertain or hesitant about something.
"She looked dubious when he promised the plan would work."

How to Use Dubious

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishNot fully trustworthy or certain — either something suspicious, or a feeling of doubt.

Common pairings
dubious claim dubious honour look dubious

Word Forms

more dubious comparative, most dubious superlative

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He made a _____ claim about curing illness with crystals.

Etymology

From Latin dubius, related to duo ("two") — the idea of being torn between two possibilities.

Rhymes for dubious

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Definitions: FreeDict original editorial