(うたが)わしい

うたがわしい
i-adjective
doubtful, suspicious, questionable
cognition
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present(うたが)わしい(うたが)わしくない
Past(うたが)わしかった(うたが)わしくなかった
て form(うたが)わしくて(うたが)わしくなくて
Adverbial(うたが)わしく
Conditional ば(うたが)わしければ(うたが)わしくなければ
Conditional たら(うたが)わしかったら(うたが)わしくなかったら
1. doubtful, questionable, uncertain
Describes something whose truth, accuracy, or likelihood is uncertain. Used when there is reason to doubt a claim, outcome, or possibility.
成功(せいこう)するかどうか(うたが)わしい。
It's doubtful whether it will succeed.
The reliability of that information is questionable.
It's doubtful I'll make it in time, so please start without me.
2. suspicious, shady, suspect
Describes a person or situation that arouses suspicion. Implies something is not trustworthy or seems dishonest.
A suspicious individual was spotted.
There's something suspicious about that company's management.
The police are examining the account records for any suspicious transactions.

Forms

Derived from the verb (うたが) (to doubt, to suspect) + しい (adjective-forming suffix). The adjective describes the quality of being doubt-worthy or suspicion-arousing.

Usage

Often used predicatively with かどうか(うたが)わしい (it's doubtful whether...) to express uncertainty about outcomes. In the suspicious sense, frequently modifies people or actions.

Similar words

  • (あや)しい: suspicious in a strange or eerie way; broader in meaning
  • (うたが)わしい: specifically suggests reason to doubt truthfulness or legitimacy

Common collocations