questionable
morally or ethically doubtful
Not clearly right or good in a moral way, and making people feel worried or suspicious.
questionable [behavior/decision/practice]
- The company was criticized for its questionable marketing practices aimed at children.
- He has a history of questionable business deals that never seem fully transparent.
- Many voters see the politician’s close ties to the industry as highly questionable.
- The charity’s use of donations was called morally questionable by watchdog groups.
- Her decision to lie to the client was at best questionable and at worst clearly wrong.
- The boss was fired because of his questionable behavior at work.
- They made a questionable decision that hurt many people.
- Some people think animal testing is morally questionable.
- The company has a questionable way of treating its workers.
- His friendship with the criminal seems very questionable.
doubtful in truth or validity
Not clearly true, correct, or right; people can easily doubt it.
questionable [claim/result/legality]
- The study’s findings are based on questionable data from an online survey.
- His explanation for being late is at best questionable and lacks details.
- The contract’s legality is questionable and may not hold up in court.
- They won the game under questionable circumstances after a referee error.
- The website makes questionable claims about miracle health cures.
- The numbers in this report are questionable.
- Her story about the accident sounds questionable.
- Some experts say the results of the test are questionable.
- The company used questionable methods to get this information.
- The legality of the new rule is still questionable.
of poor or suspect quality
Not very good in quality, style, or safety; people are not sure it is okay.
questionable [quality/taste/reliability]
- The restaurant’s food is tasty, but the hygiene standards are questionable.
- He has a talent for buying cars of questionable reliability.
- The movie is entertaining, though some would say it is in questionable taste.
- They paid a high price for artwork of questionable quality.
- Her outfit, while bold, is of questionable taste for a job interview.
- The hotel looked clean, but the beds were of questionable quality.
- That joke is funny but in questionable taste.
- We bought a cheap phone with questionable battery life.
- The safety of this old bridge is questionable.
- He has a questionable sense of style.
- Base: questionable
ethically questionable
1possibly against ethical standards
Used to say that something may go against accepted rules of good behavior in a job or field.
- Sharing patient information without consent is ethically questionable.
- The journalist refused to use sources in an ethically questionable way.
ethically questionable
1possibly morally wrong
maybe wrong in a moral way
- It’s ethically questionable to advertise weight-loss products to teenagers.
- Using customer data without clear consent is ethically questionable.
- They avoided tactics that were legal but ethically questionable.
of questionable legality
2possibly not legal
Used to say that something may not be allowed by law, or that its legal status is not clear.
- The agreement is of questionable legality and could be challenged in court.
- Some experts say the government’s actions are of questionable legality under the constitution.
of questionable taste
3possibly inappropriate in style or taste
Used to say that something (like a joke, clothes, or art) may not be polite, stylish, or acceptable to many people.
- The comedian is known for jokes that are clever but often of questionable taste.
- Some people thought the advertisement was of questionable taste and should be removed.
of questionable value
4possibly not worth much
Used to say that something may not be very useful, helpful, or worth the cost or effort.
- The training course was expensive and of questionable value to most employees.
- Many experts see these new taxes as of questionable value to the economy.
morally questionable
1ethically doubtful or suspect
Not clearly right or wrong, but making people think it may be wrong in a moral way.
- Even if it is legal, their use of customer data is morally questionable.
- Their use of personal data was seen as morally questionable.
- The experiment was stopped because it was seen as morally questionable.
- He made a lot of money in a morally questionable way.
- The project raises some morally questionable issues.