questionable

adjective

ques·​tion·​able ˈkwes-chə-nə-bəl How to pronounce questionable (audio)
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 How to pronounce questionable (audio)
ˈkwesh-
 in rapid speech  ˈkwesh-nə-
adverb
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Despite the buzz around e-fuels as an alternative, their viability remains questionable. Ethan Stone, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2025 Cincinnati The decision to hire Scott Satterfield was questionable, and nothing during his Bearcats tenure has changed those initial doubts, as Satterfield is 8-16 in two seasons. Antonio Morales, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025 Evans has missed the last three weeks with a sickness and is questionable for Tuesday’s game. Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2025 Read: The slow, quiet demise of American romance Whether for-profit app companies are in fact trying to hinder people’s romantic game is questionable. Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for questionable

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of questionable was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Questionable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/questionable. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

questionable

adjective
ques·​tion·​able ˈkwes-chə-nə-bəl How to pronounce questionable (audio)
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 adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on questionable

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