dubious

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++du·bi·ous /ˈdjuːbiəs $ ˈduː-/ ●○○ adjective  1  DISHONESTprobably not honest, true, right etc 可疑的，靠不住的 The firm was accused of dubious accounting practices. 该公司被指控有不诚实的会计行为。 Many critics regard this argument as dubious or, at best, misleading. 许多批评家认为这一论点靠不住，或者说至少有误导性。 The assumption that growth in one country benefits the whole world is highly dubious. 一国的经济增长会对全世界有益的假设是很值得怀疑的。2  NOT SURE[not before noun] not sure whether something is good or true 无把握的，吃不准的 SYN doubtful I can see you are dubious; take some time to think about it. 我看得出你在犹豫，花点时间考虑一下吧。dubious about Some universities are dubious about accepting students over the age of 30. 有些大学对录取30岁以上的学生有所犹豫。 ‘Are you sure you know what you are doing?’ Andy said, looking dubious. “你肯定知道自己在做什么吗？” 安迪有点疑虑地说道。3  the dubious honour/distinction/pleasure (of doing something) a dubious honour etc is the opposite of an honour – used about something unpleasant that happens （做某事的）污名，耻辱，不幸 The Stephensons had the dubious honor of being the 100th family to lose their home in the fire. 斯蒂芬森一家不幸地成为第100个在火灾中失去家园的家庭。4  not good or not of good quality 不好的，质量不佳的 The room was decorated in dubious taste. 这房间的装修品位不佳。 —dubiously adverb —dubiousness noun [uncountable]

Examples from the Corpus

dubious• The new strategy of stopping drug smugglers is untested and dubious.• Local people are dubious about whether that will ever happen.• But the analogies which are used to justify the transition are dubious at best.• I was a bit dubious at first, but I was hot and sticky and the water looked tempting.• Few teams can make that dubious claim.• Aside from its dubious cultural charm, there are serious structural weaknesses which may one day embarrass us.• It would have been a rather dubious double, as Garnett was making history.• What dubious manipulation of the system would they use for their own political ends?• Newsome failed to explain his dubious personal finances.• From somewhere nearby came a very dubious smell.highly dubious• Honest answers to these questions suggest that the general assumption that growth in one country benefits the entire world is highly dubious.• Much of the wealth and property acquired by these people is highly dubious from a legal standpoint.• Considering his own, highly dubious profession, Kirov had his own set of moral values.• This means that many cylinder records surviving today have highly dubious provenances, as we shall see later.Origin dubious (1500-1600) Latin dubius, from dubare “to be unable to decide”

du·bi·ous adjectiveChineseSyllable  

etc probably true, honest, Corpus right not

dubious
du‧bi‧ous /ˈdjuːbiəs $ ˈduː-/ adjective1. probably not honest, true, right etc:
    The firm was accused of dubious accounting practices.
    Many critics regard this argument as dubious or, at best, misleading.
    The assumption that growth in one country benefits the whole world is highly dubious.
2. [not before noun] not sure whether something is good or true
   SYN  doubtful:
    I can see you are dubious; take some time to think about it.
    dubious about
    Some universities are dubious about accepting students over the age of 30.
    ‘Are you sure you know what you are doing?’ Andy said, looking dubious.
3. the dubious honour/distinction/pleasure (of doing something) a dubious honour etc is the opposite of an honour – used about something unpleasant that happens:
    The Stephensons had the dubious honor of being the 100th family to lose their home in the fire.
4. not good or not of good quality:
    The room was decorated in dubious taste.
—dubiously adverb
—dubiousness noun [uncountable]
     

THESAURUS

■ seeming to be dishonest
   ▪ suspicious if someone or something seems suspicious, they make you think that something dishonest or illegal is happening: The police are treating the boy’s death as suspicious.
   ▪ dubious if something seems dubious, you think it may not be completely true, right, or honest: He has a rather dubious reputation. | It all sounds highly dubious to me. | the country’s dubious record on human rights
   ▪ shady shady business deals or people seem to be dishonest or connected with secret and illegal activities: Several senior members of the party had been involved in shady deals. | a shady character
   ▪ shifty someone who looks shifty looks as if they are doing or planning something dishonest: The man on the market stall looked a bit shifty when he gave me my change.
   ▪ dodgy British English informal probably dishonest and not to be trusted – used especially to say that you do not want to be involved with someone or something: There’s something a bit dodgy about him. | dodgy business deals

du·bi·ousBrE /ˈdjuːbiəs/ 🔊NAmE /ˈduːbiəs/ 🔊 adjective [not usually before noun] ~ (about sth)/(about doing sth) (of a person 人) not certain and slightly suspicious about sth; not knowing whether sth is good or bad 怀疑；无把握；拿不准 SYN doubtful ◆I was rather dubious about the whole idea. 我对这整个想法持怀疑态度。🔊🔊(disapproving) probably not honest 可疑的；不可信的；靠不住的；不诚实的 SYN suspicious ◆They indulged in some highly dubious business practices to obtain their current position in the market. 他们采取了一些极为可疑的商业手段以取得目前在市场上的地位。🔊🔊that you cannot be sure about; that is probably not good 不确定的；不一定好的◆They consider the plan to be of dubious benefit to most families. 他们认为这项计划对大多数家庭不一定有好处。🔊🔊◆(ironic) She had the dubious honour of being the last woman to be hanged in England (= it was not an honour at all). 她成为英格兰最后一个受绞刑的女子，这也算是一种荣幸吧。🔊🔊▸ du·bi·ous·ly BrE /ˈdjuːbiəsli/ 🔊NAmE /ˈduːbiəsli/ 🔊 adverb