questioning

1 of 2

noun

ques·​tion·​ing ˈkwes-chə-niŋ 

ˈkwesh-

plural questionings

: the activity or process of asking questions

Illocutionary acts … such as stating, questioning, promising, or commanding.

—Ronald Wardhaugh

… serious questionings of the relation between art and life …

—J. Dennis Huston

Her folks and very pregnant sister met us at the restaurant, and it didn't take long for me to warm up to them. After sweating through a few rounds of questioning, I felt a little more at ease …

—Cosmopolitan

The time had also passed for any further questioning about what genes were. The name of the game was DNA.

—James D. Watson et al.

often : judicial interrogation

As she continued her questioning, she found herself pounding the witness stand, her voice rising in accusation until it was a scream.

—Carol Lynn Mithers

The FBI has seized your computers and brought you in for questioning.

—Graham P. Collins

CNN made a disconcerting habit of breaking away for commercials without regard to what was happening in the court—often in the middle of a line of questioning.

—David Hiltbrand

questioning

2 of 2

adjective

1

: expressing or implying a question

a questioning look

… looking at her with a questioning and rather startled gaze.

—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

2

: inclined to ask questions or seek information : inquisitive

The changes of direction are partly explained by this questioning attitude, and partly by his having written the book over twenty years.

—Sarah Bakewell

For a man with as questioning a mind as Charles Darwin's there was no danger of mental vegetation.

—Ronald W. Clark

3

: uncertain about or engaged in exploring one's own sexual or gender identity

Suburban Connecticut's first support group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning youths had just begun, and Alex was proving how desperately it was needed.

—Dan Woog

Facebook provides more than 50 options beyond "male" and "female" for users to describe their gender identity, from "gender questioning" and "neither" to "androgynous."

—Chicago Tribune

questioningly adverb

I stared questioningly at Mama, not really understanding.

—Mildred D. Taylor

The bartender came over and looked questioningly at Julie. "I'll have a Scotch sour on the rocks," she said.

—Robert B. Parker

Synonyms

Adjective

• disbelieving
• distrustful
• doubting
• incredulous
• mistrustful
• negativistic
• show-me
• skeptical
• suspecting
• suspicious
• unbelieving

Examples of questioning in a Sentence

Adjective

a naturally questioning person, she demands rock-solid proof before she believes anything

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Aysha Bagchi Prosecutor homes in on contacts for Trump family, David Pecker and Allen Weisselberg From a list of contacts Graff sent Westerhout, assistant district attorney Rebecca Mangold noted a handful in her questioning. —Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 9 May 2024

Trump muttered profanity during her testimony and his lawyers were telegraphing on Wednesday that the next day could bring harsh questioning. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 8 May 2024

The hearing was held by a subcommittee with an inexperienced chair, featuring only a cameo by Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, the Republican who led the sharpest questioning of the university presidents. —Michael Levenson, New York Times, 8 May 2024

The line of questioning was aimed to discredit Daniels' honesty, recounting moments when recollections of events may have been told differently. —Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 7 May 2024

Both were released after questioning and consultation with the Marion County Prosecutor's Office. —Jake Allen, The Indianapolis Star, 6 May 2024

Onboard comforts and tech There is no questioning it: The seats and overall experience on the new Airbus are a major improvement from the Boeing 777-300ER that previously operated this route. —Chris Dong, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 May 2024

Anything less should prompt further questioning of the nonprofit status of these academic medical centers. —Patrick Skerrett, STAT, 4 May 2024

The general theme, among legal and political experts alike, was a hand-over-the-mouth, how-dare-they assessment of the mostly conservative justices’ questioning of the attorneys who appeared before them in the case known as Trump v. United States. —Claire B. Wofford, The Conversation, 1 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing questioning

• self-questioning

Kids Definition

questioning

1 of 2 noun

ques·​tion·​ing

: the activity or process of asking questions

questioning

2 of 2 adjective

1

: expressing or implying a question

a questioning look

2

: inclined to ask questions or seek information : inquisitive

a questioning mind

questioningly adverb