Dubious Meaning
/ˈd͡ʒuː.bi.əs/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjArousing doubt; questionable; open to suspicion.
adjIn disbelief; wavering, uncertain, or hesitating in opinion; inclined to doubt; undecided.
Sentence Examples
Students are expected to stay away from dubious places.
He also brought out one more dubious conclusion.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The scientist was ____ about the unexpected results of the experiment.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Students are expected to stay away from ____ places.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Latin dubiusbor. English dubious From Latin dubius; like doubt, from Latin duo (cognate to English two), implying “two alternatives” (yes or no, true or false, etc.).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"There are several reasons why the line's future is now dubious. With the exception of Horsmonden, the stations are most inconveniently sited. This is largely because the Wealden villages were built on ridges, and in fact most Wealden stations are badly placed."
— 1960 March, H. P. White, “The Hawkhurst branch of the Southern Region”, in Trains Illustrated, page 173:
"Evasive, womanising, boastful, malicious, untrustworthy, an inveterate gambler who combined his mediocre military career with running a high-class brothel, permanently cash strapped and viciously quarrelsome, his character is as dubious as his unsavoury appearance."
— 2011 February, Nigel Jones, “A Tale of Two Scandals”, in History Today, volume 61, number 2, pages 10–17:
"Urban Dictionary records at least 66 of the terms found by the present research, but as this dictionary liberally accepts words, definitions, and sample sentences based solely on the say-so of contributors, in the absence of corroboration from other sources the authenticity of some entries must remain dubious."
— 2018, James Lambert, “A multitude of ‘lishes’: The nomenclature of hybridity”, in English World-Wide, page 2:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The scientist was ____ about the unexpected results of the experiment.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Students are expected to stay away from ____ places.