doubt

doubt
I. verb Etymology: Middle English douten, from Anglo-French duter, douter, from Latin dubitare to be in doubt; akin to Latin dubius dubious Date: 13th century transitive verb 1. archaic a. fear b. suspect 2. to be in doubt about <
he doubts everyone's word
>
3. a. to lack confidence in ; distrust <
find myself doubting him even when I know that he is honest — H. L. Mencken
>
b. to consider unlikely <
I doubt if I can go
>
intransitive verb to be uncertain • doubtable adjectivedoubter noundoubtingly adverb II. noun Date: 13th century 1. a. uncertainty of belief or opinion that often interferes with decision-making b. a deliberate suspension of judgment 2. a state of affairs giving rise to uncertainty, hesitation, or suspense <
the outcome is still in doubt
>
3. a. a lack of confidence ; distrust <
has doubts about his abilities
>
b. an inclination not to believe or accept <
a claim met with doubt
>
Synonyms: see uncertainty

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Doubt — • A state in which the mind is suspended between two contradictory propositions and unable to assent to either of them Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Doubt     Doubt      …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • doubt — doubt·able; doubt·er; doubt·ful·ly; doubt·ful·ness; doubt·ing·ly; doubt·ing·ness; doubt·less·ness; doubt·some; re·doubt·able; re·doubt·ably; re·doubt·ed; un·doubt·ed·ly; un·doubt·ing·ly; doubt; doubt·ful; doubt·less; mis·doubt; re·doubt;… …   English syllables

  • doubt — I (indecision) noun ambiguity, anxiety, apprehension, apprehensiveness, confusion, dubitatio, dubito, faltering, feeling of uncertainty, hesitancy, improbability, inability to decide, incertitude, indefiniteness, indeterminateness,… …   Law dictionary

  • Doubt — Doubt, n. [OE. dute, doute, F. doute, fr. douter to doubt. See {Doubt}, v. i.] 1. A fluctuation of mind arising from defect of knowledge or evidence; uncertainty of judgment or mind; unsettled state of opinion concerning the reality of an event,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Doubt — Doubt, v. t. 1. To question or hold questionable; to withhold assent to; to hesitate to believe, or to be inclined not to believe; to withhold confidence from; to distrust; as, I have heard the story, but I doubt the truth of it. [1913 Webster]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • doubt — verb. 1. I doubt whether he ll come and I doubt if he ll come are the standard constructions when doubt is used in the affirmative to mean ‘think it unlikely’. When doubt is used in the negative to mean ‘think it likely’, a that clause is normal …   Modern English usage

  • doubt — (v.) early 13c., to dread, fear, from O.Fr. doter doubt, be doubtful; be afraid, from L. dubitare to doubt, question, hesitate, waver in opinion (related to dubius uncertain; see DUBIOUS (Cf. dubious)), originally to have to choose between two… …   Etymology dictionary

  • doubt — [dout] vi. [ME douten < OFr douter < L dubitare, to waver in opinion < dubius, DUBIOUS; b reintroduced, after L, in 16th c.] 1. to be uncertain in opinion or belief; be undecided 2. to be inclined to disbelief 3. Archaic to hesitate vt.… …   English World dictionary

  • Doubt — (dout), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Doubted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Doubting}.] [OE. duten, douten, OF. duter, doter, douter, F. douter, fr. L. dubitare; akin to dubius doubtful. See {Dubious}.] 1. To waver in opinion or judgment; to be in uncertainty as to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • doubt — ► NOUN ▪ a feeling of uncertainty. ► VERB 1) feel uncertain about. 2) question the truth of. ● no doubt Cf. ↑no doubt DERIVATIVES doubter …   English terms dictionary

  • doubt — [n] lack of faith, conviction; questioning agnosticism, ambiguity, apprehension, confusion, demurral, difficulty, diffidence, dilemma, disbelief, discredit, disquiet, distrust, dubiety, dubiousness, faithlessness, faltering, fear, hesitancy,… …   New thesaurus

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