questionable

adjective

ques·​tion·​able ˈkwes-chə-nə-bəl 

ˈkwesh-

in rapid speech ˈkwesh-nə-

1

obsolete : inviting inquiry

2

obsolete : liable to judicial inquiry or action

3

: affording reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged : not certain or exact : problematic

milk of questionable purity

a questionable decision

4

: attended by well-grounded suspicions of being immoral, crude, false, or unsound : dubious

questionable motives

questionableness noun

questionably

ˈkwes-chə-nə-blē 

ˈkwesh-

in rapid speech ˈkwesh-nə-

adverb

Synonyms of questionable

• dubious
• disputable
• problematic
• debatable
• suspicious
• doubtful
• suspect

Choose the Right Synonym for questionable

doubtful, dubious, problematic, questionable mean not affording assurance of the worth, soundness, or certainty of something.

doubtful implies little more than a lack of conviction or certainty.

doubtful about whether I said the right thing

dubious stresses suspicion, mistrust, or hesitation.

dubious about the practicality of the scheme

problematic applies especially to things whose existence, meaning, fulfillment, or realization is highly uncertain.

whether the project will ever be finished is problematic

questionable may imply no more than the existence of doubt but usually suggests that the suspicions are well-grounded.

a man of questionable honesty

Examples of questionable in a Sentence

The truth of the statements was highly questionable.

The water available in the village is of questionable quality.

a man of questionable character

They acquired the money through questionable means.

The company is facing a questionable future.

Recent Examples on the Web

Maces, which were little more than rocks mounted on sticks, had questionable value as hunting tools, but they were superbly suited for smashing the bones and skulls of other humans. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026

Yet, some of the methods Mottola used to achieve that success were questionable. —Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2026

Below, Mara, Moss and Washington discuss not judging their characters’ questionable behavior, whether the women at the center of the series are actually friends and what the show has taught them about secrets. —Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 1 Apr. 2026

As Amadeus’ brilliance continues to flourish in spite of his personal demons, a questionable reputation and scepticism from the conservative court, Salieri becomes increasingly tormented by this apparent divine gift. —Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 1 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for questionable

• unquestionable

Kids Definition

questionable

adjective

ques·​tion·​able ˈkwes-chə-nə-bəl 

ˈkwesh-

1

: open to doubt, question, or challenge : not certain or exact

milk of questionable purity

a questionable decision

2

: believed to be bad, false, or unsound : dubious

questionable motives

questionably

-blē 

adverb