- present participle of question.
questioning
Americanadjective
-
indicating or implying a question.
a questioning tone in her voice.
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characterized by or indicating intellectual curiosity; inquiring.
an alert and questioning mind.
noun
adjective
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proceeding from or characterized by a feeling of doubt or uncertainty
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enthusiastic or eager for philosophical or other investigations; intellectually stimulated
an alert and questioning mind
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of questioning
Explanation
Questioning is an appeal or demand for an answer, or for more information. Sometimes the police will bring a witness to a crime into the station for questioning. When you participate in questioning, you may very well have a questioning look on your face. As an adjective, questioning can mean "curious," "confused or perplexed," or even "skeptical." If you show up at school in a clown costume, your teachers and friends might look at you in a questioning way — or they may dive right into the questioning, demanding: "What on earth are you wearing?"
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Presenters remarked that he would eek out personal confessions and emotional reactions from his guests through his skilful questioning.
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026
Williams argued that Haney’s questioning was an attack on the agent’s credibility and said the sense left on the jury was that he “didn’t find any of this evidence.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026
Disgruntled by rising living costs and disillusioned by unfulfilled economic and social promises, the Swiss are at the vanguard of industrialized countries questioning the benefits of immigration, even the high-skilled workers many vie to attract.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
Earlier in 2026 there was talk in the markets to the effect that some SoftBank insiders were questioning the wisdom of its chief executive’s unwavering commitment to OpenAI.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
I’ve scarcely made it home and past Mom’s regular “how was your swim” line of questioning when she texts three times in a span of two minutes.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
