Debatable — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Debatable (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. open to question or dispute

   "it's always debatable which college football team is really number one, since there's more than one ranking system"

   similar: arguable, controvertible, disputable, doubtable, doubtful, issuable, moot, negotiable, questionable
   related: contradictable, refutable, controversial, debated, disputed, dubious, iffy, inconclusive, indecisive, problematic, shaky, uncertain, academic, hypothetical, speculative, theoretical, ambiguous, equivocal
   opposite: accomplished, certain, hands-down, inarguable, incontestable, incontrovertible, indisputable, indubitable, irrefragable, positive, questionless, settled, sure, unanswerable, unarguable, unchallengeable, undebatable, undeniable, unquestionable
   near: irrefutable, definite, unambiguous, unequivocal, absolute, clear, conclusive, decisive, uncontested, undisputed

2. giving good reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged

   "the debatable wisdom of going back for another helping from the buffet"

   similar: disputable, dodgy (chiefly British), doubtable, doubtful, dubious, dubitable, equivocal, fishy, problematic, queer, questionable, shady, shaky, suspect, suspicious
   related: alleged, so-called, supposed, moot, ambiguous, open, unclear, uncertain, undecided, undetermined, far-fetched, flimsy, improbable, unlikely, weak
   opposite: certain, hands-down, incontestable, indisputable, indubitable, questionless, sure, undeniable, undoubted, unproblematic, unquestionable
   near: decisive, definitive, clear, obvious, open-and-shut, positive