Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Subject to or causing doubt: a doubtful claim; doubtful prospects.
- adj. Experiencing or showing doubt: Doubtful that the cord would hold, we strengthened it.
- adj. Of uncertain outcome; undecided.
- adj. Raising doubts as to legitimacy, honesty, or respectability; suspicious: the candidate's doubtful past. See Usage Note at doubt.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Full of doubt; having doubt; not settled in opinion.
- Causing doubt; dubious; ambiguous; uncertain; not distinct in character, meaning, or appearance; vague: as, a doubtful expression; a doubtful hue.
- Admitting of or subject to doubt; not obvious, clear, or certain; questionable.
- Of uncertain issue; precarious; shifting.
- Of questionable or suspected character.
- Fearful; apprehensive; suspicious.
- Indicating doubt; disturbed by doubt.
- In prosody, variable in quantity; capable of being pronounced or measured either as a long or as a short; common; dichronous. Synonyms Uncertain, undecided. Dubious, Equivocal, etc. (see
obscure , a.); problematic, enigmatical.
Wiktionary
- adj. Subject to, or causing doubt
- adj. Experiencing or showing doubt, sceptical
- adj. Undecided or of uncertain outcome
- adj. obsolete Fearsome, dreadful.
- adj. Improbable or unlikely
- adj. Suspicious, or of dubious character
- adj. Unclear or unreliable
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Not settled in opinion; undetermined; wavering; hesitating in belief; also used, metaphorically, of the body when its action is affected by such a state of mind.
- adj. Admitting of doubt; not obvious, clear, or certain; questionable; not decided; not easy to be defined, classed, or named.
- adj. Characterized by ambiguity; dubious.
- adj. Of uncertain issue or event.
- adj. obsolete Fearful; apprehensive; suspicious.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. open to doubt or suspicion
- adj. fraught with uncertainty or doubt
- adj. unsettled in mind or opinion
Etymologies
- From doubt + -ful. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“England instead of despotic Russia, it is doubtful if he could work out his discovery of the electrotype -- we say _doubtful_; for, as far as we can learn, it seems hitherto judicially undecided whether the mere use of a patent, not for sale or a lucrative object, is such a use within the statute of James as would be an infringement of a patentee's rights.”
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXVI. October, 1843. Vol. LIV.
“It all sounds like a bunch of meaningless numbers used to push a candidate whose qualifications still remain doubtful to this day.”
“I remain doubtful that society will ever produce parity enrollment between the genders in science and engineering.”
“I currently am in doubtful mode, but I am willing to see what comes of this mixture.”
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 Gets Ready To SAW Audiences In October – Collider.com
“Loans that remain overdue for 91 days or more can be classified as substandard, while those overdue for a year to three years are classified as doubtful.”
The Wall Street Journal: RBI Asks Banks to Set Aside More Funds Against Bad Loans
“But the prospects for the fund remain doubtful due to a number of potential hurdles.”
The Wall Street Journal: Japan Considers Stimulus, Wealth Fund
“Shall we see hope and fear in doubtful conflict poised, shall we see misgivings, forebodings of ill throng in our pathway, shall clouds obscure and foes enlist and wrath”
Letter from Young John Allen to Mollie HoustonNovember 1, 1856
“Hillary wins by 9% headlines – Hillary win doubtful, very suspicious, very sad”
“The fact that it was legally doubtful is irrelevant as long as it furthers the greater good of getting Republicans elected in Texas.”
“Some people insist on using only “natural” fibers, but “natural” is a term of doubtful meaning in this context as in so many others.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘doubtful’.
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1100
abound, technology, branch of knowled..., prognosticate, automaton, matron, an older married ..., realm, special field of ..., kingdom, annals, historical records and 981 more...
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Dominant/Submissive
abusive, adamant, autocratic, bossy, bullheaded, bumptious, certain, cock-a-hoop, cocksure, cocky, commanding, compelling and 189 more...
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SCIE - neurology
abducens.....draw..., ablation.....carr..., acetylcholine......., adrenalin.....nea..., afferent.....to c..., agnosia.....no kn..., alar.....wing-like, alexia.....no words, alveus.....canal, amacrine.....no l..., ambidextrous........, ambiguus.....doub... and 701 more...
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-Ful
Words ending with -ful
doubtful, fanciful, fearful, forceful, graceful, healthful, respectful, successful, tasteful, thoughtful, pantsful
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Adjectives
impressive growth, significant, outstanding, an AILING person ..., sick, a HUMBLE person -..., DISARMING critics..., VAIN - напрасный,..., unavailing, IGNOMINOUS - пост..., shameful, ignoble and 34 more...
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Words For Novel (Part 3)
fibers, gypsy, polymer, schism, syphilitic garden..., holocaust, scrutinant, contemplate, aftermath, consequence, deadlock, impasse and 170 more...
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classic695's Words
delighted, elated, energetic, excited, enthusiastic, elevated, happy, contented, fine, pleased, satisfied, compassionate and 168 more...
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feeling words
twitterpated, loquacious, ambiguous, pensive, sluggish, anxious, adventurous, curious, abandoned, absent-minded, abrasive, abused and 653 more...
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my dictionary
able, abnormally, abroad, absent, abstract, acceptable, acceptance, access, accessible, accession, according to, account and 4551 more...
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Edward Gorey
gashlycrumb, mortshire, dustwrapper, earbrass, toastrack, enigma, pincushion, affair, postcard, mystery, blancmange, tragedy and 44 more...
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d is for depressing!
dolorous, damaging, depressing, drab, dull, dumb, derelict, decaying, dubious, doubtful, dreadful, dangerous and 86 more...
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Eyes~
sparkling, mischevious, glinting, deep, alluring, warm, frigid, verdant, lackadaisical, glistening, animated, intense and 15 more...
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D
Main List
derision, deus ex machina, dehumanizing, decrepit, doubtful, double entendre, duplicitous, double dealing
Tweets
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chained_bear Etymology compared to that of dubious on that page. Jan 8, 2009