doubtful B2 Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈdaʊtfəl/ See IPA manual Freq #14757 Meanings 1 adj Unlikely or uncertain to happen or be true. It is doubtful whether the rope will hold. 2 adj Feeling unsure or having doubts. She looked doubtful about the plan but said nothing. 3 adj Possibly dishonest or of questionable quality. The deal involved some people of rather doubtful character. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · unlikely or uncertain to... dubious 2 adj · feeling unsure or having... tentative 3 adj · possibly dishonest or of... dubious Word family Derived forms doubtfullydoubtfulnessundoubtful Etymology AI details From Middle English doutfull, douteful, equivalent to doubt + -ful. doutfull Middle English View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # doubtful **Type:** Word **Level:** B2 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈdaʊtfəl/ **Frequency rank:** 14757 ## Meanings 1. Unlikely or uncertain to happen or be true. 2. Feeling unsure or having doubts. 3. Possibly dishonest or of questionable quality. ## Examples - It is doubtful whether the rope will hold. - She looked doubtful about the plan but said nothing. - The deal involved some people of rather doubtful character. ## Derived Forms - doubtfully - doubtfulness - undoubtful ## Roots and Affixes - Root: doutfull ## Etymology From Middle English doutfull, douteful, equivalent to doubt + -ful. ## AI Etymology Doubtful comes from Middle English doutfull, douteful, equivalent to doubt + -ful. In current use, the main senses are “Unlikely or uncertain to happen or be true” and “Feeling unsure or having doubts”. ## Topics - Describing Qualities markdown