What does "doubt" mean?
Disbelief or uncertainty (about something); (countable) a particular instance of such disbelief or uncertainty.
Doubt
/daʊt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Disbelief or uncertainty (about something); (countable) a particular instance of such disbelief or uncertainty.
- Grammar: doubt is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: doubtfulness, question, uncertainty, agnosticism.
- Useful contrasts: absolute certainty, adoring, apparent evidence.
- Usage evidence: People who love doubt nothing, or doubt everything.
How to use "doubt"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "doubt" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "doubt" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "doubt" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "doubt" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "doubt" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "doubtfulness" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "doubt", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Disbelief or uncertainty (about something); (countable) a particular instance of such disbelief or uncertainty. countable, uncountable
"There was some doubt as to who the child's real father was."
- 2 uncertainty about the truth or factuality or existence of something wordnet
- 3 A point of uncertainty, especially a yes/no or a multiple-choice question countable
"Ma'am, I have a doubt about today's lecture"
- 4 the state of being unsure of something wordnet
Verb
- 1 To be undecided about; to lack confidence in; to disbelieve, to question. ambitransitive
"He doubted that was really what you meant."
- 2 consider unlikely wordnet
- 3 To harbour suspicion about; suspect. transitive
"I walk by the Rule of my Maſter, you walk by the rude working of your fancies. You are counted thieves already, by the Lord of the way; therefore, I doubt you will not be found true men at the end of the way."
- 4 lack confidence in wordnet
- 5 To anticipate with dread or fear; to apprehend. archaic, transitive
"The rest of his horsemen the Duke sent to his campe, bicause they heard a great noise there, and doubted the enimies sally, and indeede they had issued foorth thrise, but were alwaies repulsed, especially through the valiantns of the English men that the Duke left there behind him [...]"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To fill with fear; to affright. obsolete, transitive
"I'll tell ye all my fears, one ſingle valour, / the vertues of the valiant Caratach / more doubts me then all Britain: [...]"
- 7 To dread, to fear. ambitransitive, obsolete
"Edmond aþelstones broþer · after him was king · / Godmon & doutede · god þoru alle þing ·"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"People who love doubt nothing, or doubt everything."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "doubt"?
Common synonyms include: doubtfulness, question, uncertainty, agnosticism, agonize, agonize over.
How do you use "doubt" in a sentence?
People who love doubt nothing, or doubt everything.
How do you pronounce "doubt"?
Pronounced /daʊt/.
Etymology
Etymology tree Latin dubō Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin -tō Latin -itō Latin dubitō Old French doterbor. Middle English douten ▲ Old French doter Old French doutebor. Middle English doute ▲ English dubiousinflu. ▲ Latin dubitōinflu. English doubt The verb is derived from Middle English douten (“to doubt, fear, worry”) [and other forms], from Old French douter, doter, duter (compare Middle French doubter), from Latin dubitāre (“to be uncertain, doubt; to hesitate, waver in coming to an opinion; to consider, ponder”); the further etymology is uncertain, but one theory is that dubitō may be derived from dubius (“fluctuating, wavering; doubtful, dubious, uncertain”), from duhibius (“held as two”), from duo (“two”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ (“two”)) + habeō (“to have, hold”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- (“to grab, take”)). Spelling reformers of the early modern period added the letter b to reflect the Latin root dubitō, but it has never been pronounced in English. The noun is derived from Middle English dout, doute (“uncertainty, hesitation; questionable point; anxiety, fear, reverence”) [and other forms], from Old French doute, dote, dute (“uncertain feeling, doubt”), from doter, douter, duter (“to doubt, fear”) (compare Middle French doubter; modern French douter (“to doubt, suspect”)); see further etymology above. Displaced Old English twēo (“doubt”) and twēoġan (“to doubt”).