doubtful en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˈdaʊtfəl/
Etymology
From Middle English doutfull, douteful, equivalent to doubt + -ful.
Meanings
- Subject to, or causing doubt.
- Experiencing or showing doubt, skeptical.
- Undecided or of uncertain outcome.
- (obsolete) Fearsome, dreadful.
- Improbable or unlikely.
-
Suspicious, or of dubious character.
Yet it is not the predominant views of the experts but the views of a minority, mostly of rather doubtful standing in their profession, which are taken up and spread by the intellectuals.
1949, F. A. Hayek, “The Intellectuals and Socialism”, in University of Chicago Law Review, volume 16, number 3, Chicago: University of Chicago, →DOI, page 419:
-
Unclear or unreliable.
The pupils of her great eyes were large in the doubtful lamplight, swallowing their green fires in deep pools of mystery and darkness.
1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, “395–396”, in The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more doubtful | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| doubtfull | alternative | lexicographic | |
| most doubtful | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Doubtful Creek · doubtfulness · undoubtful · doubtfully
Translations (90)
pt incerto (undecided or of uncertain outcome) · de zweifelhaft (suspicious, or of dubious character) · ca dubtós (subject to, or causing doubt) · ota شبههلو (subject to, or causing doubt) · fi epäilyttävä (suspicious, or of dubious character) · hu kétes (suspicious, or of dubious character) · it improbabile (improbable or unlikely) · hy երկբայելի (subject to, or causing doubt) · bg съмняващ се (experiencing or showing doubt) · hy թերահավատ (experiencing or showing doubt) · ro îndoielnic (subject to, or causing doubt) · el αμφίβολος (subject to, or causing doubt) · fi kyseenalainen (suspicious, or of dubious character) · te సంశయాత్మకమైన (subject to, or causing doubt) · hy կասկածելի (subject to, or causing doubt) · gd mì-chinnteach (undecided or of uncertain outcome) · hu kétséges (subject to, or causing doubt) · nrf douteux (subject to, or causing doubt) · pt incerto (experiencing or showing doubt) · te సంశయాత్మకమైన (undecided or of uncertain outcome) · da usikker (experiencing or showing doubt) · ka საეჭვო (subject to, or causing doubt) · ka სათუო (subject to, or causing doubt) · ga amhrasach (experiencing or showing doubt) · ru сомнева́ющийся (experiencing or showing doubt) · ru сомни́тельный (subject to, or causing doubt) · az şübhəli (subject to, or causing doubt) · fi epäilyttävä (subject to, or causing doubt) · fi epävarma (undecided or of uncertain outcome) · gd mì-chinnteach (experiencing or showing doubt) · ca dubtós (experiencing or showing doubt) · da tvivlende (experiencing or showing doubt) · hy կասկածելի (experiencing or showing doubt) · bg съмнителен (subject to, or causing doubt) · te సంశయాత్మకమైన (experiencing or showing doubt) · ru сомни́тельный (improbable or unlikely) · fi arveluttava (suspicious, or of dubious character) · mi taupetupetu (undecided or of uncertain outcome) · it dubbio (subject to, or causing doubt) · ro dubios (subject to, or causing doubt) · da tvivlsom (undecided or of uncertain outcome) · ru сомни́тельный (undecided or of uncertain outcome) · pt dúbio (subject to, or causing doubt) · la dubius (subject to, or causing doubt) · fi epäilevä (experiencing or showing doubt) · ga dabhtúil (subject to, or causing doubt) · bg несигурен (undecided or of uncertain outcome) · az şəkli (experiencing or showing doubt) · es dudoso (subject to, or causing doubt) · mi hokirua (undecided or of uncertain outcome) · pt duvidoso (improbable or unlikely) · la dubitabundus (experiencing or showing doubt) · bg подозрителен (suspicious, or of dubious character) · txb klänkarṣke (subject to, or causing doubt) · de zweifelhaft (subject to, or causing doubt) · de zweifelhaft (undecided or of uncertain outcome) · hi संदेहास्पद (experiencing or showing doubt) · mhr ала (undecided or of uncertain outcome) · nb tvilende (experiencing or showing doubt) · az şübhələnən (experiencing or showing doubt) · it incerto (undecided or of uncertain outcome) · hi संदेहास्पद (subject to, or causing doubt) · fi epätodennäköinen (improbable or unlikely) · mi pōkaku (subject to, or causing doubt) · hu kétséges (undecided or of uncertain outcome) · bg невероятен (improbable or unlikely) · fr douteux (subject to, or causing doubt) · hnn pangalangan (experiencing or showing doubt) · ota شبههلو (suspicious, or of dubious character) · de zweifelnd (experiencing or showing doubt) · it sospetto (suspicious, or of dubious character) · te సంశయాత్మకమైన (improbable or unlikely) · ota شبههلو (undecided or of uncertain outcome) · mi hokirua (subject to, or causing doubt) · hy երկբայելի (experiencing or showing doubt) · de zweifelhaft (improbable or unlikely) · it discutibile (experiencing or showing doubt) · cs pochybný (suspicious, or of dubious character) · da tvivlsom (suspicious, or of dubious character) · fr douteuse (subject to, or causing doubt) · nn tvilande (experiencing or showing doubt) · da tvivlsom (improbable or unlikely) · mhr ала (improbable or unlikely) · te సంశయాత్మకమైన (suspicious, or of dubious character) · gd mì-chinnteach (subject to, or causing doubt) · hy կասկածամիտ (experiencing or showing doubt) · fi epävarma (experiencing or showing doubt) · mi kārangirangi (subject to, or causing doubt) · pt duvidoso (subject to, or causing doubt) · es dudoso (improbable or unlikely)