Kiingereza

dubiously

gb/dˈubiəsli/ us/dˈubiəsli/
C1 Kiingereza
Maana
maana 0
adverb C1 property
1

in an uncertain, doubtful way

in a way that shows you are not sure

Muundo wa matumizi: [someone] [verb] dubiously (about [something])
Kosa la kawaida:
Don’t use it to mean 'double' or 'two' (confused with 'dub-').
Visawe
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.)
Vinyume
confidently (shows certainty rather than doubt.) | surely (indicates strong belief something is true.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
look dubiously |ask dubiously |glance dubiously |smile dubiously |regard [something] dubiously |watch dubiously |reply dubiously |say dubiously
Mada
communication |thinking |emotions
Mifano
  • 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.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
  • 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

Muundo wa matumizi: dubiously [adjective] / [verb] dubiously
Kosa la kawaida:
In this sense, it often modifies an adjective (e.g., 'dubiously legal'), not just a verb.
Visawe
suspiciously (emphasizes that something seems untrustworthy.) | questionably (common in writing; highlights unclear acceptability.) | shadily (more informal; suggests dishonest behavior.)
Vinyume
legitimately (done in a lawful and acceptable way.) | properly (done according to rules or standards.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
dubiously funded |dubiously acquired |dubiously obtained |dubiously financed |dubiously sourced |dubiously documented |dubiously authenticated |dubiously motivated
Mada
law |business |crime
Mifano
  • 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.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
  • 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

Muundo wa matumizi: dubiously [adjective/participle]
Kosa la kawaida:
This sense is about quality or effectiveness, not necessarily dishonesty.
Visawe
unconvincingly (focuses on failing to persuade.) | weakly (emphasizes lack of strength or force.) | problematically (suggests there are issues or flaws.)
Vinyume
convincingly (persuasive and believable.) | solidly (strong and well supported.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
dubiously effective |dubiously accurate |dubiously relevant |dubiously useful |dubiously scientific |dubiously supported |dubiously realistic |dubiously justified |dubiously successful
Mada
communication |education |work
Mifano
  • 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.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
  • 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

Muundo wa matumizi: [someone] [verb] dubiously (at [someone/something])
Kosa la kawaida:
Often used with body-language verbs (look, raise an eyebrow, frown), not with 'believe' itself.
Visawe
skeptically (directly expresses disbelief.) | incredulously (stronger disbelief; sounds more dramatic.) | disbelievingly (explicitly indicates not believing.)
Vinyume
trustingly (shows belief and acceptance.) | credulously (too ready to believe.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
smile dubiously |laugh dubiously |raise an eyebrow dubiously |frown dubiously |stare dubiously |eye [someone] dubiously
Mada
communication |emotions |relationships
Mifano
  • 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.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
  • He looked at me dubiously.
  • She smiled dubiously.
Sarufi
Umbo la kamusi
dubiously
IPA
GB/dˈubiəsli/
US/dˈubiəsli/
Silabi na mkazo
du - bi - ously (silabi 3)
Stress on 1st syllable (du)
Maumbo ya neno
Noun
  • Base: dubiously
  • Plural: dubiouslies
Familia ya neno
Forms
dubiouslies noun
Core family
dubious adjective B2
Related words
doubt noun B1 doubtful adjective B1 doubtfully adverb
Negative and opposite forms
undoubted adjective undoubtedly adverb B2 doubtless adverb B2
Advanced or less common
dubiousness noun
Semi

dubiously legal

1
/dˈubiəsli lˈiɡəl/
fixed phrase

not clearly legal

maybe illegal; not clearly allowed

Mifano
  • 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

Mifano
  • 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

Mifano
  • 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

Mifano
  • 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

Mifano
  • 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.

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