doubtful

1 ENTRIES FOUND:

doubtful /ˈdaʊtfəl/ adjective

doubtful

/ˈdaʊtfəl/

adjective

Learner's definition of DOUBTFUL

[more doubtful; most doubtful]

: uncertain or unsure about something不确定的；拿不准的

— often + about or of

They were doubtful about the benefits of the new system. = They were doubtful of its benefits.他们对新系统的优势表示怀疑。

: not likely to be true : not probable不大可能的；未必真实的

He made the doubtful [=dubious] claim that he had never been sick a day in his life.他说他一生从未生过一天病，这未必是真的。
The truth of the statements was doubtful.这些说法不太可能是真实的。

— often + that, if, or whether

It's highly doubtful [=unlikely, improbable] that anyone will notice.不太可能会有人留意。
It is doubtful if she really meant what she said.她未必心口如一。
The situation is bad and it's doubtful whether it will get better soon.现在形势很差，短时间内也未必能改善。

: likely to be bad : not worthy of trust不值得信任的；靠不住的

The water available in the village is of doubtful [=questionable] quality.村里可用水的水质可能有问题。
Their decisions were based on data of doubtful accuracy.他们的决定建立在不准确的数据之上。

: not certain : unknown or undecided不明的；未确定的

— doubtfully

adverb