Literary notes about Dubious (AI summary)
The word "dubious" functions as a flexible qualifier in literature, evoking uncertainty, skepticism, or moral ambivalence depending on the context. At a personal level, it captures a character’s hesitant or suspicious expression—as when Constantia appears uncertain [1] or when a character gives a probing, reserved look [2][3]. At an abstract level, it describes questionable actions, outcomes, or judgments, suggesting that what is seen or believed may be misleading or fallible, as in discussions of inferred meanings or dubious results in political and historical situations [4][5][6]. This layered usage enriches the narrative by prompting readers to question appearances and the reliability of interpretations, adding complexity to the interplay between perception and truth.
- “What had we better do?” Constantia looked dubious.
— from The Garden Party, and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield - Old Jolyon gave him a dubious look: “I can't tell,” he said; “they say so!”
— from The Forsyte Saga, Volume I. by John Galsworthy - He looked—well, he merely looked dubious, it’s the most I can say; so did the others.
— from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain - [23] The interpretation of the words between inverted commas is a little dubious.
— from The Economic Consequences of the Peace by John Maynard Keynes - On this showing the transcriber of the MS. considered its authorship dubious.
— from On the Sublime by active 1st century Longinus - They failed lamentably in the case of Joseph II and produced many very dubious results under Peter.
— from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park
