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DUBIOUS

 - 3 dictionary results

du⋅bi⋅ous

  [doo-bee-uhs, dyoo-]
Use DUBIOUS in a Sentence
–adjective
1. doubtful; marked by or occasioning doubt: a dubious reply.
2. of doubtful quality or propriety; questionable: a dubious compliment; a dubious transaction.
3. of uncertain outcome: in dubious battle.
4. wavering or hesitating in opinion; inclined to doubt.
Origin:
1540–50; < L dubius; see -ous

Related forms:
du⋅bi⋅ous⋅ly, adverb
du⋅bi⋅ous⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. equivocal, ambiguous, obscure, unclear. 4. undecided, uncertain, hesitant, fluctuating. See doubtful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To DUBIOUS
du·bi·ous   (dōō'bē-əs, dyōō'-)   
adj.  

  1. Fraught with uncertainty or doubt; undecided.

  2. Arousing doubt; doubtful: a dubious distinction.

  3. Of questionable character: dubious profits.


[From Latin dubius; see dwo- in Indo-European roots.]
du'bi·ous·ly adv., du'bi·ous·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

dubious 
1548, from L. dubiosus "doubtful," from dubium "doubt," neuter of dubius "doubtful," from duo "two," in the sense of "of two minds, undecided between two things." O.E. also used tweo "two" to mean "doubt."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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