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# doubtful

«doubtful» in Mova's school dictionary: **doubtful about something, you are not sure it is true or…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (doubtful, more doubtful, most doubtful)

### meaning for a pupil

1) If you are doubtful about something, you are not sure it is true or that it will happen. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/doubtful/#m1)

2) If something is doubtful, it probably will not happen or probably is not true. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/doubtful/#m2)

3) Doubtful can describe something that seems not quite honest or good, like a doubtful excuse. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/doubtful/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In stories it shows a character who is unsure or suspicious, often with a frown or a raised eyebrow; in science it describes a result or claim you should check again. Phrases: «doubtful about», «it is doubtful that/whether», «a doubtful look».

### examples

- Sam looked doubtful when I said the ice was safe. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/doubtful/#x1)
- It is doubtful that the match will go ahead in this rain. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/doubtful/#x2)
- I'm doubtful about this map; it looks very old. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/doubtful/#x3)
- The teacher gave a doubtful smile at my excuse. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/doubtful/#x4)
- The result was doubtful, so we did the experiment again. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/doubtful/#x5)
- Whether the ferry will run tomorrow is doubtful. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/doubtful/#x6)
- Grandpa was doubtful the little tree would survive the winter. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/doubtful/#x7)
- But he was doubtful whether the crocodile would consent to do what wanted. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/doubtful/#x8)

### note

Spelled with a silent «b», like «doubt». Adverb: «doubtfully». Opposite: «certain», «sure». Being doubtful about a strange claim online is a good habit; check it with a trusted source.

### In the corpora

- [A safe rule for doubtful food is: when in doubt, throw it out.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/13-smells-that-warn/16/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «doubtful» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/doubtful/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.