Word: dubious (adjective)

Associations

"Dubious" means feeling doubt or uncertainty about something. It can also describe something that seems suspicious or not trustworthy.

• "She gave a dubious answer." — She gave an answer that made people doubt its truth.
• "The deal sounds dubious." — The deal seems suspicious or not reliable.
• "He looked dubious about the plan." — He was unsure or doubtful about the plan.

Synonym: "doubtful" is very close in meaning. The difference is that "dubious" often suggests suspicion or something possibly wrong, while "doubtful" mainly means uncertain or not sure.

Substitution

You can replace "dubious" with:

• doubtful — when you want to say you are not sure about something.
• suspicious — when you think something might be wrong or bad.
• uncertain — when you simply do not know for sure.

Example: "She gave a suspicious answer" means you think the answer might be false, stronger than just "dubious."

Deconstruction

The word "dubious" comes from Latin "dubius," meaning "doubtful" or "uncertain."

• Root: "dub-" means "doubt."
• Suffix: "-ious" means "full of" or "having the quality of." So "dubious" literally means "full of doubt."

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when you felt dubious about something? What made you feel that way?
• How would you feel if someone gave you a dubious explanation? Would you trust it?
• Can you use "dubious" to describe a person? What would that mean?