Synonyms for doubt
- noun
- verb
Most common
question misgiving uncertainty hesitation suspicion disbelief
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Question
question, misgiving, uncertainty, hesitation, objection, scruple, dispute, diffidence, query, suspense dated, incertitude formal rare, dubiousness rare, irresolution rare, dubiety rare, doubtfulness rare
2. Suspicion
suspicion, disbelief, skepticism US, scepticism UK, discredit, incredulity, unbelief
Other
Verb
1. Suspect — to consider questionable or unlikely; to hesitate to believe; to lack confidence in; to question
Definitions
- n. 1
Disbelief or uncertainty (about something); (countable) a particular instance of such disbelief or uncertainty.
There was some doubt as to who the child's real father was.
- n. 2
A point of uncertainty, especially a yes/no or a multiple-choice question
Ma'am, I have a doubt about today's lecture
- v. 1
To consider questionable or unlikely; to hesitate to believe; to lack confidence in; to question.
He doubted that was really what you meant.
- v. 2
To harbour suspicion about; suspect.
Related words
- Word family
- doubtable doubter doubting doubtful doubtless
- Phrases
- no-doubt call into doubt without a doubt
- Is a kind of
- query
Choose the right word
Incompleteness of evidence may compel one to doubt, or some perverse bias of mind may incline him to.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- question To my surprise, she could not answer the question.
- uncertainty All forecasts have a certain degree of uncertainty.
- hesitation Mary jumped into the icy water without hesitation.
- misgiving Tom's misgiving has come true.
- suspicion He became an object of suspicion to his neighbors.
- disbelief The aftermath of the war left many in disbelief.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| doubt | steady | |
| question | falling | |
| uncertainty | rising | |
| hesitation | rising | |
| misgiving | steady | |
| suspicion | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 5 letters
- query2, waver2
- 7 letters
- suspect2, dispute2, scruple2, dubiety
- 8 letters
- question2, hesitate3, suspense2, distrust2, mistrust2, unbelief
- 9 letters
- suspicion3, objection3, disbelief3, discredit3, fluctuate3, vacillate3, misgiving3
- 10 letters
- hesitation4, skepticism4, scepticism, perplexity4, diffidence
- 11 letters
- uncertainty4, incredulity5, dubiousness, incertitude
- 12 letters
- irresolution, doubtfulness
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (query2 = 2 syllables).