Skip to main content
questionableness

questionableness

7.9
The quality of being doubtful about whether something is true
  • noun
  • /ˈkwɛstʃənəblnəs/
translation icon : cuestionabilidad
  • The questionableness of his claims made everyone hesitant to believe him.

Examples

  • There was a noticeable questionableness in the evidence presented at the trial.

  • Her questionableness about the project's feasibility raised concerns among the team.

  • The questionableness of drifting arises from the fact that it fails consistently to perform the work of representing itself, like a traveler subject to forgetting where he's going or where he's been.

    Academic text (1990)

Synonyms

doubt
vsquestionableness
1.6

A feeling of not being sure about something

is a broader quality that applies beyond a single feeling
uncertainty
vsquestionableness
296 4.0

Not being sure about what will happen or what to do

emphasises doubtful quality rather than unpredictability or risk
skepticism
vsquestionableness
  • US
124 5.1

A feeling of doubt about an idea or claim when there is not enough proof

is the passive quality of being doubtful rather than an active attitude
reservation
vsquestionableness
73 4.8

A feeling of doubt that makes you hesitate to agree

is the general doubt quality, not just a hesitant feeling
qualm
vsquestionableness
35 8.4

A feeling of doubt or unease about whether you are doing the right thing

is the broader uncertain quality beyond uneasy conscience
shadow of doubt
vsquestionableness
  • Informal
2 3.8

A small feeling that something might not be true

is the overall doubtful quality, not only a faint hint of it
tentativeness
vsquestionableness
1 7.0

A feeling of being unsure and slow to decide

is the general openness to doubt rather than hesitant behaviour
peradventure
vsquestionableness
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A feeling of doubt about whether something is true

is the modern general term for being doubtful or open to challenge
dubiousness
vsquestionableness
1 7.8

A feeling of doubt or not trusting something

focuses on doubt without necessarily implying suspicion
questionability
vsquestionableness
7.5

The fact that something may not be true or reliable

is the general state of being doubtful or open to question
dubiety
vsquestionableness
  • Formal
9.9

A feeling of doubt or uncertainty about something

is the broad quality of doubt rather than a neutral state name
doubtfulness
vsquestionableness
5.5

A feeling of not being sure about something

is the overall quality that makes things open to doubt
unsureness
vsquestionableness
3.8

A feeling of doubt or low confidence

is the wider characteristic that makes things open to doubt
incertitude
vsquestionableness
  • Formal
8.9

A feeling of not being sure or confident about something

frames doubt as a general quality rather than a personal lack of confidence
noncertainty
vsquestionableness
8.8

A feeling of not being sure about something

highlights doubtful nature rather than just absence of certainty
uncertainness
vsquestionableness
6.0

A state of not knowing what will happen

focuses on openness to doubt rather than randomness or chance

How Doubtful

suspicion
170 3.0
questionableness
7.9
doubt
1.6
uncertainty
296 4.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

questionableness = questionable (transparent) = question + able + ness

Formed by adding the noun-forming suffix '-ness' to the adjective 'questionable', a regular and semantically direct derivation.

Etymology

Questionableness comes from the simple word question ('to ask') plus the parts -able ('able to be') and -ness ('a state or quality'). So it literally pictures something as 'able to be questioned', which is why it means the state of being doubtful or open to challenge.