it felt dubious

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "it felt dubious" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when expressing uncertainty or skepticism about a situation or statement. Example: "When I heard the news, it felt dubious, and I needed to verify the information before believing it."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

My own reason for not, in the end, doing so was that I knew myself to be too frivolous for the necessary commitment, and there was also a streak of something more respectable in my motive: I felt dubious about ends justifying means, which I took to be an important part of Communist thinking.

The Guardian - Books

Hill says: "But I want the poem to have this dubious end; because I feel dubious; and the whole business is dubious".

The Guardian - Books

Hill says: "But I want the poem to have this dubious end; because I feel dubious; and the whole business is dubious". He's not wrong: and that sentence, balanced on the fulcrums of its semicolons, alerts us to the delicately measured nuances of these lines.

The Guardian - Books

It is easy to feel dubious about whether this optimistic vision of the transformative power of dance will take off in London, which remains at heart reserved and staid in character.

The New York Times

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has vowed to crack down on Republican filibusters several times with no effect, so it's hard not to feel dubious about his latest threat to change Senate rules if Republicans continue to block President Obama's nominations.

The New York Times

Feeling dubious, I wandered over to the kitchen tent.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Timbuktu's appellation as a city feels dubious.

The Guardian

Nonetheless, there is something about Extremely Loud that does indeed feel dubious.

The Guardian - Film

He issued a statement in which, speaking on the behalf of the academy, he criticised Tolstoy for having "condemned all forms of civilisation... one feels dubious".

The Guardian - Books

Citizens may not care all that much about where a farm subsidy goes, but they will expect a clear explanation of why their planes are dropping bombs and who is giving the orders.If governments still feel dubious about acknowledging the full role of the EU in national life, they should remind themselves of the line all of them peddled when they first got into the European game.

The Economist

The recently updated Cochrane handbook [ 6] now gives overlapping rather than mutually exclusive regions for low, moderate and high heterogeneity, but when the heterogeneity is measured with as much uncertainty as in the Cervix 3 meta-analysis (90% reference intervals for of 0% to 93%) any categorisation feels dubious.

BMC Medical Research Methodology

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "it felt dubious", ensure the context clearly indicates what 'it' refers to. This helps avoid ambiguity and ensures the reader understands what you're questioning.

Common error

Avoid using "it felt dubious" in highly formal writing, such as academic papers or legal documents. Opt for more precise and professional alternatives like "it appeared questionable" or "it was deemed unreliable".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "it felt dubious" primarily functions as a subjective assessment, where 'it' refers to a prior subject and 'felt dubious' expresses a personal sense of doubt or uncertainty. This aligns with Ludwig AI's assessment of the phrase's grammatical correctness.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

66%

Wiki

17%

Science

17%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "it felt dubious" is a grammatically correct expression used to convey a personal feeling of doubt or skepticism. While not highly formal, it's suitable for various contexts, particularly news and media, as confirmed by examples found in Ludwig. The phrase is moderately common, and according to Ludwig AI, it effectively communicates a subjective assessment of uncertainty.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

i was dubious about it

Shifts the focus to a personal feeling of doubt.

it seemed questionable

Replaces the emotional aspect of feeling with a more objective observation.

it appeared suspicious

Focuses on the outwardly untrustworthy appearance of something.

it struck me as doubtful

Emphasizes the speaker's personal impression of doubt.

it left me unconvinced

Highlights the lack of persuasion or belief.

i found it hard to believe

Focuses on the difficulty in accepting something as true.

it raised my suspicions

Highlights how something caused a feeling of distrust

it didn't ring true

Emphasizes the sense that something is false or insincere.

i viewed it with skepticism

Directly expresses a skeptical attitude towards something.

it seemed improbable

Indicates a low likelihood of being true or happening.

FAQs

How can I rephrase "it felt dubious" to sound more formal?

For a more formal tone, you could use phrases like "it seemed questionable", "it appeared suspicious", or "it was deemed unreliable". The choice depends on the specific nuance you wish to convey.

What does "it felt dubious" imply?

The phrase "it felt dubious" implies a sense of uncertainty, suspicion, or a lack of conviction regarding something. It suggests that there's a reason to question the validity or reliability of a situation, statement, or object.

Is there a difference between "it felt dubious" and "I felt dubious"?

Yes, "it felt dubious" implies that something external gave you a feeling of doubt or skepticism. On the other hand, "I felt dubious" indicates that the feeling of doubt or skepticism originates from within you, possibly due to your own uncertainty or reservations.

What are some situations where "it felt dubious" would be appropriate?

The phrase "it felt dubious" is suitable when describing a situation that evokes skepticism, such as encountering conflicting information, receiving an unbelievable offer, or observing inconsistencies in someone's behavior. Remember to adapt the tone based on your audience.