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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Doubt: Meaning, Usage, and Common Errors (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：feel unsure (doubt)

doubt 🔊

/daʊt/

v./n.

to think that something might not be true or right.

Person thinking with question mark above head, doubt concept illustration

feel unsure 🔊

➕

/fiːl ʌnˈʃʊr/

v./n.

To be uncertain about the truth or correctness of something, often leading to skepticism or disbelief.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'dubitare' (to hesitate, be uncertain), via Old French 'douter'.

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine a 'd' + 'out' → you are 'out' of certainty, doubting what's inside.

📖 Example

She said she saw a ghost, but I doubt it very much. 🔊 She said she saw a ghost, but I doubt it very much.

🔗 Collocations

doubt the validity – question whether something is valid or true

begin to doubt – start feeling uncertain about something formerly believed

seriously doubt – have strong skepticism or disbelief

🔄 Synonyms

question (v.) – to express uncertainty or challenge the truth of something

distrust (v.) – to lack confidence in the truth or reliability of something

suspect (v.) – to have an impression that something may be wrong or false

🚫 Antonyms

believe (v.) – to accept something as true or real

trust (v.) – to have firm confidence in the truth or reliability

🌱 Derivatives

doubter (n.) – a person who doubts

doubtful (adj.) – feeling or showing uncertainty

undoubted (adj.) – not questioned; certain

📖 Cultural Story

Rooted in Latin 'dubitare' meaning 'to waver between two opinions'. In medieval legal contexts, 'benefit of the doubt' became a key principle of justice.

Meaning 2：feeling of uncertainty (doubt)

doubt 🔊

/daʊt/

v./n.

a feeling of worry that something isn't good or won't work well.

Person checking map and weather app, showing doubt and uncertainty

feeling of uncertainty 🔊

➕

/ˈfiːlɪŋ ʌv ʌnˈsɜːrtənti/

v./n.

A mental state of hesitation or lack of conviction about the quality, outcome, or truth of something.

📁 Category：Physical & Mental Health 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

I have some doubts about whether this plan will succeed; it seems a bit risky. 🔊 I have some doubts about whether this plan will succeed; it seems a bit risky.

🔗 Collocations

cast doubt on – cause others to feel uncertain about something

beyond doubt – completely certain, without any uncertainty

lingering doubts – doubts that remain despite efforts to resolve them

🔄 Synonyms

uncertainty (n.) – the state of being unsure about something

skepticism (n.) – an attitude of doubting the truth of something

hesitation (n.) – a delay due to uncertainty or doubt

🚫 Antonyms

certainty (n.) – firm conviction that something is true or will happen

confidence (n.) – a feeling of trust in the truth or reliability

🌱 Derivatives

doubting (adj.) – tending to doubt; skeptical

doubtless (adv.) – without doubt; certainly