questionable

adjective

ques·​tion·​able ˈkwes-chə-nə-bəl 

ˈkwesh-,

 in rapid speech  ˈkwesh-nə-

1

obsolete : inviting inquiry

2

obsolete : liable to judicial inquiry or action

3

: affording reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged : not certain or exact : problematic

milk of questionable purity

a questionable decision

4

: attended by well-grounded suspicions of being immoral, crude, false, or unsound : dubious

questionable motives

questionableness noun

questionably

ˈkwes-chə-nə-blē 

ˈkwesh-

 in rapid speech  ˈkwesh-nə-

adverb

Synonyms

• debatable
• disputable
• dodgy [chiefly British]
• doubtable
• doubtful
• dubious
• dubitable
• equivocal
• fishy
• problematic
• problematical
• queer
• shady
• shaky
• suspect
• suspicious

Choose the Right Synonym for questionable

doubtful, dubious, problematic, questionable mean not affording assurance of the worth, soundness, or certainty of something.

doubtful implies little more than a lack of conviction or certainty.

doubtful about whether I said the right thing

dubious stresses suspicion, mistrust, or hesitation.

dubious about the practicality of the scheme

problematic applies especially to things whose existence, meaning, fulfillment, or realization is highly uncertain.

whether the project will ever be finished is problematic

questionable may imply no more than the existence of doubt but usually suggests that the suspicions are well-grounded.

a man of questionable honesty

Examples of questionable in a Sentence

The truth of the statements was highly questionable.

The water available in the village is of questionable quality.

a man of questionable character

They acquired the money through questionable means.

The company is facing a questionable future.

Recent Examples on the Web

People are still perplexed and saddened by the questionable move on the Mavericks' side, especially their majority owner, Mark Cuban. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 9 Feb. 2025

Officiating has been a hot topic of late as questionable calls seemingly took over two of the Chiefs’ playoff wins — against the Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills. —Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 7 Feb. 2025

To what extent Trump is actually willing to take action to expand U.S. borders is questionable. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2025

Employees throughout the federal government received offers to resign but get paid through September — a move experts say is legally questionable and unions have challenged in court. —Sharon Lerner, ProPublica, 6 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

questionable

adjective

ques·​tion·​able ˈkwes-chə-nə-bəl 

ˈkwesh-

1

: open to doubt, question, or challenge : not certain or exact

milk of questionable purity

a questionable decision

2

: believed to be bad, false, or unsound : dubious

questionable motives

questionably

-blē 

adverb