Meaning & use
questionable
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Open to doubt because it may be dishonest, low in quality, unwise or wrong.
Grammar: Can go before a noun or after a verb: questionable motives, or his motives are questionable.
Patterns
- questionable motives
- it is questionable whether something
The company's questionable accounting practices caught the attention of regulators.
He made a questionable decision to leave the door unlocked.
The quality of the evidence is highly questionable.
adjectiveafter a verb
Not certain to be true or beneficial, so that people can reasonably argue about it.
Grammar: Often follows 'it is' with whether: it is questionable whether the plan will work.
Patterns
- it is questionable whether something
- it is questionable if something
It is questionable whether the new road will reduce traffic.
The benefits of the treatment remain questionable.
Whether he can finish on time is questionable.
Word forms
| comparative | more questionable |
|---|---|
| superlative | most questionable |
Common combinations
- questionable motives
- Her questionable motives made colleagues wary.
- highly questionable
- The value of the painting is highly questionable.
- questionable taste
- The joke was in questionable taste.
- ethically questionable
- Selling the data was ethically questionable.
- questionable judgment
- He showed questionable judgment by posting the rumor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dubious
- Dubious is very close but often suggests personal suspicion or unease, while questionable describes something that can be challenged.
- doubtful
- Doubtful is more about uncertainty of outcome and less about suspected wrongdoing than questionable.
- suspect
- Suspect used as an adjective is stronger, suggesting probable dishonesty, whereas questionable is milder.
- shady
- Shady is informal and implies dishonest or illegal dealings, while questionable can be applied politely to quality or judgment.
Opposites
Word family
- question verb
- to doubt or challenge something
- questionably adverb
- in a way open to doubt
- unquestionable adjective
- certain, beyond doubt
- questioning adjective
- showing doubt or curiosity
Commonly confused: questionable or questioning?
questionable vs questioning
Questioning describes someone who asks or doubts, while questionable describes something that is itself open to doubt.
Practice
The politician was criticized for accepting gifts of ______ origin.
Choose one answer.
Questionable origin means the source of the gifts may be dishonest or doubtful. 'Certain' and 'obvious' would not explain criticism, and 'approving' does not describe origin.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “questionable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.