different between dubious vs bogus

English

Etymology

From Latin dubius; like doubt, from Latin duo (cognate to English two), implying “two alternatives” (yes or no, true or false, etc.).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?dju?bi.?s/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?du.bi.?s/
• Rhymes: -u?bi?s

Adjective

dubious (comparative more dubious, superlative most dubious)

1. (of a statement) Arousing doubt; questionable; open to suspicion.
   • 2011, Nigel Jones, "A Tale of Two Scandals", History Today, February 2011, Vol. 61 Issue 2, pages 10–17

     Evasive, womanising, boastful, malicious, untrustworthy, an inveterate gambler who combined his mediocre military career with running a high-class brothel, permanently cash strapped and viciously quarrelsome, his character is as dubious as his unsavoury appearance.
2. (of a person) In disbelief; wavering, uncertain, or hesitating in opinion; inclined to doubt; undecided.

   She was dubious about my plan at first, but later I managed to persuade her to cooperate.

   • 2010, John M. Broder, "Global Climate-Change Talks Begin in Cancun With More Modest Expectations", New York Times, November 30, Section A, Column 0, Foreign Desk, page 12

     Last year, President Obama had large majorities in Congress and hopes of passing a comprehensive climate and energy bill. Next year, he faces a new Congress much more dubious about the reality of climate change and considerably more hostile to international efforts to deal with it.

3. (chess, chiefly of an opening move) Generally considered imprecise or wrong, but not totally unplayable.

Usage notes

Largely synonymous with doubtful, when used of statements or facts, dubious is used when the statement is a cause of doubt, while doubtful is used when a fact is in doubt. For example, “the company’s earnings report was dubious” vs. “his chances for recovery are doubtful”.

Derived terms

• dubious honor / dubious honour
• dubiously
• dubiousness

Translations

See also

• doubtful
• doubt

References

See also

• (?)

English

Etymology

First attested as an underworld term for counterfeit coins. Later, the word was applied to anything of poor quality. The newest use to mean useless is probably from the slang of computer hackers.

The origin is unknown, but there are at least two theories that try to trace its origin:

• From Hausa boko (“to fake”). Since bogus first appeared in the United States, it may be possible that its ancestor was brought there on a slave ship.
• From criminal slang as a short form of tantrabogus, a 19th-century slang term for a menacing object, making some believe that bogus might be linked to bogy or bogey (see bogeyman). In this sense, Bogus might be related to Bogle – a traditional trickster from the Scottish Borders, noted for achieving acts of household trickery; confusing, but not usually damaging.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?b??.??s/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?bo?.??s/
• Rhymes: -????s

Adjective

bogus (comparative more bogus, superlative most bogus)

1. Counterfeit or fake; not genuine.

   Synonyms: phony; see also Thesaurus:fake
2. Undesirable or harmful.
3. (computing, slang) Incorrect, useless, or broken.
4. (philately) Of a totally fictitious issue printed for collectors, often issued on behalf of a non-existent territory or country (not to be confused with forgery, which is an illegitimate copy of a genuine stamp).

   Synonym: illegal
5. Based on false or misleading information or unjustified assumptions.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

bogus (uncountable)

1. (US, dialect) A liquor made of rum and molasses.

Related terms

• calibogus