YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

dubious

Adjective

IPA /ˈdjuːbiəs/

Understand it. Say it. Use it.

UNDERSTAND THE WORD

Meaning in plain English

Uncertain whether something is good, true or likely to succeed.

SAY IT ALOUD

Pronunciation

dubious/ˈdjuːbiəs/

PICTURE THE IDEA

See the meaning

Follow the idea

A confident promise
Will this really work?
Not yet convinced

Someone dubious about a plan doubts whether it will succeed.

SEE IT IN EVERYDAY ENGLISH

Examples in context

Read the examples aloud. Notice how the word fits the sentence, then think of a situation of your own.

I was dubious about buying a sofa without trying it first.
The supervisor remained dubious about the proposed timetable.

MAKE IT STICK

Quick word quiz

Try the question without looking back, then write a sentence of your own. You can retry as often as you like.

Can you recall the word?

Complete the example using the word from this lesson.

I was ________ about buying a sofa without trying it first.

Show the answer

dubious — Uncertain whether something is good, true or likely to succeed.

Try your own sentence (optional)

Make it yours

Write one sentence using “dubious” about your own life.

Your sentence (optional)

Check your sentence

Does your sentence match this meaning?

Uncertain whether something is good, true or likely to succeed.

Compare: I was dubious about buying a sofa without trying it first.

Check the spelling and how the word fits the sentence. Your example can be different.

Self-review only. Your sentence is not automatically marked, saved or submitted.

This quiz is for practice. To save lesson completion on this device, complete the checks in the app.

Word origin

From Latin dubiosus, related to dubium, meaning a doubt.

Did you know?

A person can be dubious about a claim, idea or plan.

Explore related words

Open a word’s lesson when available, or explore entries that use the related term.

Make the word your own

Say the word aloud and read an example sentence.
Write a new sentence about something familiar to you.
Cover the meaning and try explaining the word in your own words.

Continue with the app’s practice check, then try a sentence of your own to mark this word complete.

Practise this word in the app

Completion and saved words stay in this browser on this device.