doubtfully

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈdaʊtfəli/ UK /ˈdaʊtfʊli/ See IPA manual

adv

Meanings

1

adv
in a manner showing uncertainty or hesitation

She eyed the rickety bridge doubtfully before stepping onto it.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adv · in a manner showing... uncertainly hesitantly dubiouslyskepticallytentatively questioningly

Opposites

confidently certainly assuredly decidedly

Word family

Related forms doubt doubtful doubtfulness doubtless

Etymology

From doubtful + -ly; doubtful is from doubt (from Old French douter, from Latin dubitare 'to waver') + -ful.

douter Old French dubitare Latin dubius Latin

View etymology graph ->

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Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# doubtfully

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adv
**IPA (US):** ˈdaʊtfəli
**IPA (UK):** ˈdaʊtfʊli

## Meanings
1. in a manner showing uncertainty or hesitation

## Examples
- She eyed the rickety bridge doubtfully before stepping onto it.

## Synonyms
- uncertainly
- hesitantly
- dubiously
- skeptically
- tentatively
- questioningly

## Antonyms
- confidently
- certainly
- assuredly
- decidedly

## Related Forms
- doubt
- doubtful
- doubtfulness
- doubtless

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: douter
- Root: dubitare
- Root: dubius

## Etymology
From doubtful + -ly; doubtful is from doubt (from Old French douter, from Latin dubitare 'to waver') + -ful.

## AI Etymology
Doubtfully comes from doubtful + -ly; doubtful is from doubt (from Old French douter, from Latin dubitare 'to waver') + -ful. The etymological trail includes Old French douter, Latin dubitare, and Latin dubius. As an adverb, doubtfully means in a manner showing uncertainty or hesitation. The same family is visible in related forms such as doubt, doubtful, doubtfulness, and doubtless. The analysis is partly morphological, with the modern form built from the elements named in the history.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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