as in skeptical
inclined to doubt or question claims
a naturally questioning person, she demands rock-solid proof before she believes anything
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in inquiry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in challenging
to demand proof of the truth or rightness of
the teenager openly questioned the authority of the town's police force to impose a curfew on residents under the age of 18
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pondering
to give serious and careful thought to
question your motives before you file the lawsuit: do you really care about the trees, or are you just trying to harass the neighbors?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in doubting
to have no trust or confidence in
it was apparent that voters were questioning the President's ability to manage the economy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in asking
to put a question or questions to
the press should be allowed to question public officials about any matter of general interest
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in interrogating
to put a series of questions to
the police questioned the suspect before deciding that there was insufficient evidence to hold him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of questioning
Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 20 Feb. 2025
Opinions Are Split On the Matter The post has received more than 4,000 comments, with many people feeling the son’s age should’ve prevented any questioning.
—Anna Halkidis, Parents, 14 Feb. 2025
Ross O'Keefe, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Dec. 2024
Many families are prioritizing financial stability over the prestige of a brand-name college, questioning whether the investment in a traditional college education is always the right choice.
—Dr. Aviva Legatt, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for questioning
Noun
The suspect refused to testify in initial questioning.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 20 Feb. 2025
Opinions Are Split On the Matter The post has received more than 4,000 comments, with many people feeling the son’s age should’ve prevented any questioning.
—Anna Halkidis, Parents, 14 Feb. 2025
Verb
Police later arrested the man and are questioning him.
—Ross O'Keefe, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Dec. 2024
Many families are prioritizing financial stability over the prestige of a brand-name college, questioning whether the investment in a traditional college education is always the right choice.
—Dr. Aviva Legatt, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for questioning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for questioning
Adjective
-
Sophisticated buyers may naturally be more skeptical.—
Ryan Hutchins,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Be skeptical of unsolicited contact: Remember that the IRS will never contact you via phone, email, text or social media to demand immediate payment or request personal information.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Netanyahu has resisted forming a commission of inquiry.—
Kat Lonsdorf,
NPR,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Despite public pressure, including from the families of the roughly 1,200 people killed in the Oct. 7 attack and the 251 taken as hostages into Gaza, Netanyahu has resisted calls for a commission of inquiry.—
MOHAMMAD JAHJOUH, WAFAA SHURAFA, NATALIE MELZER AND TIA GOLDENBERG THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
arkansasonline.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Biden even considered challenging Carter for the Democratic nomination in 1980.—
Susan Page,
USA TODAY,
8 Jan. 2025
-
And don’t overlook the impact that challenging engineering and construction conditions can have on your calculations.—
Katherine Latham,
Forbes,
8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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School Board members are now pondering the idea of asking voters for another bond in the future.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
29 Dec. 2024
-
There may be some benefit from these policies, but business leaders pondering their 2025 plans will want to focus on their own labor needs.—
Bill Conerly,
Forbes,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Hope this helps anyone out there doubting their own post partum recovery.—
Emily Trainham,
Fox News,
29 Dec. 2024
-
Injuries have hampered his career a bit, but there is no doubting his talents, especially on the offensive end.—
Benedict Cosgrove,
Newsweek,
19 Dec. 2024
Verb
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But no one seemed all that interested in asking or talking about it Thursday, which makes this as good a time as any to revisit The Athletic’s midseason predictions for the Panthers.—
Joseph Person,
The Athletic,
27 Dec. 2024
-
The key to staying relevant is to start asking questions and preparing for the future now.—
Nirmal Chhabria,
Forbes,
27 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
The Context Since Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, a series of mysterious deaths have claimed the lives of prominent Russian figures, including tycoons, businessmen and oil executives—many of whom reportedly fell from windows under suspicious circumstances.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
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The fire seemed suspicious, police said, and the fire marshal reportedly requested that arson detectives from West Hartford Police and the Connecticut State Police Fire and Explosive Investigative Unit investigate.—
From Staff Reports,
Hartford Courant,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The genre of true crime comes in for interrogation in both Predators, from director David Osit, and Zodiac Killer Project, directed by Charlie Shackleton.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Former President Barack Obama, for example, ended the C.I.A. interrogation program started under former President George W. Bush but did not fire the officers accused of torturing Al Qaeda prisoners.—
Seamus Hughes,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to questioning
Cite this Entry
“Questioning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/questioning. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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