questioning

1 of 2

noun

ques·​tion·​ing ˈkwes-chə-niŋ How to pronounce questioning (audio)
ˈkwesh-
plural questionings
: the activity or process of asking questions
Illocutionary acts … such as stating, questioning, promising, or commanding.Ronald Wardhaugh
… serious questionings of the relation between art and life …J. Dennis Huston
Her folks and very pregnant sister met us at the restaurant, and it didn't take long for me to warm up to them. After sweating through a few rounds of questioning, I felt a little more at ease …Cosmopolitan
The time had also passed for any further questioning about what genes were. The name of the game was DNA.James D. Watson et al.
often : judicial interrogation
As she continued her questioning, she found herself pounding the witness stand, her voice rising in accusation until it was a scream. Carol Lynn Mithers
The FBI has seized your computers and brought you in for questioning. Graham P. Collins
CNN made a disconcerting habit of breaking away for commercials without regard to what was happening in the court—often in the middle of a line of questioning. David Hiltbrand

questioning

2 of 2

adjective

1
: expressing or implying a question
a questioning look
… looking at her with a questioning and rather startled gaze.Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
2
: inclined to ask questions or seek information : inquisitive
The changes of direction are partly explained by this questioning attitude, and partly by his having written the book over twenty years.Sarah Bakewell
For a man with as questioning a mind as Charles Darwin's there was no danger of mental vegetation.Ronald W. Clark
3
: uncertain about or engaged in exploring one's own sexual or gender identity
Suburban Connecticut's first support group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning youths had just begun, and Alex was proving how desperately it was needed.Dan Woog
Facebook provides more than 50 options beyond "male" and "female" for users to describe their gender identity, from "gender questioning" and "neither" to "androgynous."Chicago Tribune
questioningly adverb
I stared questioningly at Mama, not really understanding. Mildred D. Taylor
The bartender came over and looked questioningly at Julie. "I'll have a Scotch sour on the rocks," she said. Robert B. Parker

Examples of questioning in a Sentence

Adjective a naturally questioning person, she demands rock-solid proof before she believes anything
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
As his questioning crosses taboos and boundaries, raising Sister Barnes’ hackles, cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung’s camera, which has been cutting between various degrees of close-up as the conversation progresses, breaks free from stasis. Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 7 Nov. 2024 This questioning keeps them aligned to their goals as well as their values. Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024 Diana says no, but the stews find the questioning a bit aggressive. Emma Soren, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024 While many of us have lost hours chasing links on Wikipedia – some following a more or less linear line of questioning, others jumping wildly from topic to topic, others having a mix of both – a collaborative team of scientists has found that patterns in our browsing have a personal fingerprint. New Atlas, 27 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for questioning 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of questioning was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near questioning

Cite this Entry

“Questioning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/questioning. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

questioning

1 of 2 noun
ques·​tion·​ing
: the activity or process of asking questions

questioning

2 of 2 adjective
1
: expressing or implying a question
a questioning look
2
: inclined to ask questions or seek information : inquisitive
a questioning mind
questioningly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on questioning

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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