dubiously
gb/dˈubiəsli/ us/dˈubiəsli/
C1
Anglais
Sens
0 sens
adverb
C1
property
1
in an uncertain, doubtful way
in a way that shows you are not sure
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] [verb] dubiously (about [something])
Erreur fréquente :
Don’t use it to mean 'double' or 'two' (confused with 'dub-').
Synonymes
uncertainly (focuses on not being sure.)
|
hesitantly (adds a sense of pause or reluctance.)
|
doubtfully (closest in meaning; emphasizes doubt.)
|
warily (adds caution or guardedness.)
Antonymes
confidently (shows certainty rather than doubt.)
|
surely (indicates strong belief something is true.)
Collocations
look dubiously
|ask dubiously
|glance dubiously
|smile dubiously
|regard [something] dubiously
|watch dubiously
|reply dubiously
|say dubiously
Thèmes
communication
|thinking
|emotions
Exemples
- She looked dubiously at the weather forecast and packed an umbrella anyway.
- He listened dubiously as the sales rep promised instant results.
- They spoke dubiously about whether the plan would work on time.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I looked dubiously at his story.
- She answered dubiously.
adverb
C1
property
2
in a suspicious or questionable way
in a way that seems dishonest or not trustworthy
Schéma d’usage :
dubiously [adjective] / [verb] dubiously
Erreur fréquente :
In this sense, it often modifies an adjective (e.g., 'dubiously legal'), not just a verb.
Synonymes
suspiciously (emphasizes that something seems untrustworthy.)
|
questionably (common in writing; highlights unclear acceptability.)
|
shadily (more informal; suggests dishonest behavior.)
Antonymes
legitimately (done in a lawful and acceptable way.)
|
properly (done according to rules or standards.)
Collocations
dubiously funded
|dubiously acquired
|dubiously obtained
|dubiously financed
|dubiously sourced
|dubiously documented
|dubiously authenticated
|dubiously motivated
Thèmes
law
|business
|crime
Exemples
- The company was dubiously funded through a chain of shell accounts.
- Some of the reviews appear dubiously written by the same person.
- He bought a dubiously cheap ticket from an unofficial site.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The money was dubiously obtained.
- That deal sounds dubiously legal.
adverb
C1
property
3
not convincingly; of doubtful value
in a way that seems not very good or not believable
Schéma d’usage :
dubiously [adjective/participle]
Erreur fréquente :
This sense is about quality or effectiveness, not necessarily dishonesty.
Synonymes
unconvincingly (focuses on failing to persuade.)
|
weakly (emphasizes lack of strength or force.)
|
problematically (suggests there are issues or flaws.)
Antonymes
convincingly (persuasive and believable.)
|
solidly (strong and well supported.)
Collocations
dubiously effective
|dubiously accurate
|dubiously relevant
|dubiously useful
|dubiously scientific
|dubiously supported
|dubiously realistic
|dubiously justified
|dubiously successful
Thèmes
communication
|education
|work
Exemples
- The study is dubiously relevant to real-world classrooms.
- His explanation was dubiously simple for such a complex problem.
- The fix is dubiously effective and may fail again next week.
Exemples pédagogiques
- This answer is dubiously correct.
- The plan is dubiously useful.
adverb
C1
property
4
skeptically; showing disbelief
in a way that shows you don’t really believe it
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] [verb] dubiously (at [someone/something])
Erreur fréquente :
Often used with body-language verbs (look, raise an eyebrow, frown), not with 'believe' itself.
Synonymes
skeptically (directly expresses disbelief.)
|
incredulously (stronger disbelief; sounds more dramatic.)
|
disbelievingly (explicitly indicates not believing.)
Antonymes
trustingly (shows belief and acceptance.)
|
credulously (too ready to believe.)
Collocations
smile dubiously
|laugh dubiously
|raise an eyebrow dubiously
|frown dubiously
|stare dubiously
|eye [someone] dubiously
Thèmes
communication
|emotions
|relationships
Exemples
- She raised an eyebrow dubiously when he claimed he’d finished in ten minutes.
- He smiled dubiously, clearly unconvinced by the excuse.
- They eyed the ‘miracle cure’ advertisement dubiously.
Exemples pédagogiques
- He looked at me dubiously.
- She smiled dubiously.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
dubiously
API
GB/dˈubiəsli/
US/dˈubiəsli/
Syllabes et accentuation
du - bi - ously (3 syllabes)
Stress on 1st syllable (du)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: dubiously
- Plural: dubiouslies
Famille de mots
Forms
dubiouslies
noun
Core family
dubious
adjective B2
Negative and opposite forms
Advanced or less common
dubiousness
noun
Expressions
dubiously legal
1/dˈubiəsli lˈiɡəl/
fixed phrase
not clearly legal
maybe illegal; not clearly allowed
Exemples
- They used a dubiously legal workaround to avoid paying the fee.
- The scheme operates in a dubiously legal gray area.
- She refused to sign a dubiously legal contract.
dubiously obtained
1/dˈubiəsli əbtˈeɪnd/
fixed phrase
formal
got in an improper way
got in a way that may be wrong or dishonest
Exemples
- The report was based on dubiously obtained documents.
- Authorities investigated how the dubiously obtained funds were moved offshore.
- He refused to use dubiously obtained data in his research.
dubiously sourced
1/dˈubiəsli sˈɔɹst/
fixed phrase
from an unreliable source
from a source you should not trust
Exemples
- The article relied on dubiously sourced statistics.
- They were selling dubiously sourced electronics online.
- We removed the dubiously sourced images from the report.
look at [someone/something] dubiously
1/lˈʊk ˈæt sˈoʊmˈoʊnsəmˈɛθɪŋ dˈubiəsli/
fixed phrase
look with doubt or suspicion
to look like you are not sure or you don’t believe it
Exemples
- He looked at the tiny portion dubiously and asked if that was really lunch.
- She looked at him dubiously after hearing the same excuse again.
- The dog looked at the new food dubiously and walked away.
raise an eyebrow dubiously
1/ɹˈeɪz ən ˈaɪbɹˌaʊ dˈubiəsli/
fixed phrase
show skepticism nonverbally
to show you don’t really believe something
Exemples
- She raised an eyebrow dubiously at his claim that he’d never seen the email.
- He raised an eyebrow dubiously when the app asked for full access to his contacts.
- They raised an eyebrow dubiously and waited for proof.