doubt

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“
In spite of the astounding phenomena which I have witnessed, I have still a trace of doubt--doubt which is weak, indeed, to-day, but which may, perchance, be stronger to-morrow.

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Definitions (39)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (13)

  1. transitive verb To be undecided or skeptical about: began to doubt some accepted doctrines.
  2. transitive verb To tend to disbelieve; distrust: doubts politicians when they make sweeping statements.
  3. transitive verb To regard as unlikely: I doubt that we'll arrive on time.
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Examples (50)

  • This change, and the impossibility of knowing the reason of it, grieved me to the heart She asked me for her letters; these I returned her with a fidelity of which she did me the insult to doubt for a moment This doubt was another wound given to my heart, with which she must have been so well acquainted. —  The Confessions of J. J. Rousseau, Entire
  • Phidrik sat at the helm, humming an Imperium marching tune, and from below, in the swamps, rose the wail and moan of what Ridimon knew without a doubt was a dead soul. —  FSF,September2006
  • Still, the doubt was there now and would have to be resolved in some way He was preoccupied when the boat reached the creek and said little while they were pulling it up and stowing the oars. —  Clement, Hal - Needle.htm
  • But my doubt is here:—How am I to discover what are the essentia of any Louse, whether Egyptian or not? —  Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character
  • I saw Antuie, then I saw Sensin, then a hundred other cities that I knew without a doubt were above and below me. —  Challenging Destiny #17
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Suggestions Wordniks Suggest

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

fear ·  fact ·  hope ·  suspicion ·  feel ·  sir ·  confusion ·  apprehension ·  truth ·  opinion ·  pride ·  difficulty

Used in the same contextWord Family

doubt:   doubts ·  doubted ·  doubting
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (4)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English douten, from Old French douter, from Latin dubitāre, to waver; see dwo- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (3)

  1. Early modern English dout, doute (the b being inserted in the F. and English forms in the 16th century, in ignorant imitation of the orig. L.; it does not occur in early English or F.); from Middle English douten, dowten, earlier duten, fear, be in fear, also, less commonly, doubt, from Old French douter, duter, doter, later doubter, modern F. douter, doubt, fear, = Provencal duptar, doptar = Spanish dudar = Portuguese duvidar = Italian dottare, from Latin dubitare, waver in opinion, be uncertain, doubt, hesitate, in form a freq. verb, connected with dubius, wavering in opinion, uncertain, doubtful, dubious (see dubious), from duo, = English two, + -bi, -of uncertain origin. Cf. Greek δοιή, doubt; Sanskrit dvaya, twofold; Gothic (Moesogothic) tweifls = Danish tvivl = Swedish tvifvel = German zweifel = Dutch twijfel, doubt; Anglo-Saxon tweó, doubt; all from the word for ‘two.’ Hence (from Old French) redoubt, redoubtable, and (from Latin dubitare) dubitate, dubitation, etc.
  2. Early modern English doute (the b being inserted as in the verb); from Middle English doute, dout, earlier dute, fear, doubt, from Old French doute, dute, dote, French doute = Provencal dopte, dubte = Spanish duda = Portuguese duvida = Italian dotta, doubt; from the verb: see doubt, v.
  3. By apheresis from redoubt, q. v.
 

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/daʊt/
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