Dubious meaning in English

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Definition

dubious: unclear, uncertain, vague, suspicious adjective

Examples

  • "In related news, the city of Houston, Texas can once again claim the title of "America's fattest city", narrowly beating New Orleans for the dubious distinction."
Exercise 1
Houston has the dubious distinction of being America's fattest city.

In this sentence, "dubious" could be replaced by "" without changing the meaning of the sentence.
Houston has the dubious distinction of being America's fattest city.

In this sentence, "dubious" could be replaced by "questionable" without changing the meaning of the sentence.
questionable: This is correct. "Dubious" means "doubtful" or "questionable". The journalist is not sure that the prize of "America's fattest city" should be described as a "distinction". Other examples: "I had the dubious honour of shaking President Boosh's hand", or "His story about finding the money was dubious at best".
surprising: This is not correct. The term "surprising" describes something "unexpected" or "slightly shocking". Example: "Jane made a surprising revelation to everyone after the wedding". This does not share a similar meaning with "dubious".
horrible: This is incorrect. "Horrible" is too strong a word to replace "dubious", which means "doubtful" or "questionable".
tragic: This is incorrect. "Tragic" is too strong a word to replace "dubious", which means "doubtful" or "questionable".

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