dubious enough

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "dubious enough" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to express uncertainty or skepticism about something that is considered to be questionable or not entirely trustworthy. Example: "The evidence presented was dubious enough to warrant further investigation." Alternative expressions include "questionable enough" and "suspicious enough."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

But that led right back to the first idea, that sex was God's way of making us religious, which seemed dubious enough... On and on the poet searches for a metaphor broad enough to contain his truth, wise enough to convince anyone else that it is one.

The New Yorker

This payment, revealed four years later as Platini was eyeing a smooth ascent to become Fifa president when Blatter steps down in February, is dubious enough to be the subject of publicly announced criminal proceedings by the Swiss attorney general, Michael Lauber.

The Guardian - Sport

The notion of sacrificing tens of thousands of lives, both allied and Afghan, and spending hundreds of billions of dollars in a supposed humanitarian crusade is dubious enough in theory.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

But unproven though it is, the Chinese restaurant theory had enough dubious appeal for one tabloid to expound it beneath the headline "Sheep and Sow Source".In this section Marks's failed revolution Silicon Fen strains to grow Internship for Britain section The royal appendix What price a good school?

The Economist

If you're dubious that there's enough to Twitch to host a full convention focused around it, that's okay — plenty of people were dubious that there was enough to the idea of "people watching other people play video games" for Twitch to be a success….

TechCrunch

The investors are in it for the long haul, but they're buying mortgages originated via commission-hungry brokers who apparently think nothing of tarting up the credit of dubious homebuyers just long enough to get the deals done.

Forbes

The poor conditions and dubious legalities are bad enough, but what's worse is that guardian companies like to present themselves as offering creative solutions to the housing crisis - bringing empty buildings back into use as homes at a rate people can actually afford.

Vice

In an era when reality television delivers instantaneous, if dubious, celebrity for contestants wily enough to prevail, Long Islanders with gastronomical proclivities — or pretensions — probably know that this region has produced two winners in the two seasons of "Top Chef".

The New York Times

And when dubious stories are repeated often enough, they can be mistaken as truth.

Los Angeles Times

The dubious likelihood of anyone caring enough to offer shit to a lanky guy in pale-blue jeans a size too big for him never occurred to me.

Vice

Texas Republican Rep. Michael Burgess announced this week that he had solid proof that the so-called "Pain-Capable Infant Protection Act" -- the act passed by the House this week that bans any abortions after 20 weeks of gestation -- didn't go far enough with its dubious claim that abortion should be banned because fetuses over 20 weeks can feel pain.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Place the phrase after a linking verb (is, seemed, appears) to describe a noun or idea as meeting the required level of doubt.

Common error

Avoid preceding the phrase with extra intensifiers like very or extremely. Since "enough" already specifies a sufficient degree for the context, saying very dubious enough is redundant and clunky. Stick to the simple pairing.

Linguistic Context

In this phrase, "dubious" serves as the head adjective while "enough" acts as a post-positive adverbial intensifier. As noted in Ludwig, this structure allows the writer to quantify the degree of doubt relative to a specific context or threshold.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Science

15%

Encyclopedias

5%

Less common in

Formal & Business

3%

Social Media

1%

Wiki

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "dubious enough" is a precise and effective phrase for communicating a sufficient degree of skepticism. Ludwig AI confirms its frequent use in high-quality journalism and critical essays, where it serves to establish a logical threshold for doubt. Unlike a simple adjective, the addition of "enough" anchors the skepticism to a specific context, making it a powerful tool for justifying a hesitant stance or a critical conclusion. It remains a sophisticated choice for writers looking to express nuanced uncertainty without resorting to informal slang.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

sufficiently questionable

Uses a more formal adverb to describe the state of doubt.

sufficiently suspect

Carries a more official or forensic connotation.

highly suspicious

Increases the intensity of the doubt and implies potential wrongdoing.

rather doubtful

Slightly softens the skepticism compared to the main phrase.

notably skeptical

Shifts the focus slightly toward the observer's attitude rather than the object's quality.

shaky enough

A more metaphorical and slightly less formal way to describe instability.

quite unreliable

Focuses on the lack of dependability rather than just the feeling of doubt.

somewhat fishy

A significantly more idiomatic and informal alternative.

vague enough

Targets a specific type of doubt caused by a lack of clarity.

plausibly false

Focuses on the logical likelihood of the subject being untrue.

FAQs

Is "dubious enough" correct in formal writing?

Yes, it is perfectly correct. Ludwig AI shows it is used by prestigious publications like "The New Yorker" and "The Guardian" to express a specific degree of skepticism.

What can I say instead of "dubious enough"?

You can use alternatives like "questionable enough", "suspicious enough" or "sufficiently doubtful" depending on the nuance you want.

What is the difference between "dubious" and "dubious enough"?

While "dubious" simply describes something as doubtful, adding "enough" implies that the doubt has reached a certain level or threshold required to trigger a specific thought or consequence.

Should I use "enough dubious" or "dubious enough"?

You should use "dubious enough" when modifying the adjective. Using "enough dubious" usually occurs only when "enough" is modifying a subsequent noun, such as "enough dubious appeal", which is a different grammatical structure.