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When I am doubtful about something I may say

I doubt it is true

Before, I used "suspect" interchangeably

I suspect it is true

But as I checked "suspect" means that I think it is rather true?!

In general, except doubt and suspect which words can be used in the same meaning for such purpose (to express one doubts)?

2 Answers 2

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When you doubt something is true, you think something isn't true/right or you think it is highly unlikely to be true.

Whereas when you are suspecting something to be true, you have a feeling that this thing actually is true.

If you want to express you aren't sure about something but you think it's true, you can use guess, reckon or suppose.

As for synonyms for "doubt": I would probably use might...e.g. "It might be true." (but I don't think it's likely).

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  • Thank you, what about the synonyms for "doubt", what if I think it is unlikely?
    – Ahmad
    Aug 4, 2015 at 14:27
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    Thank you, I just needed check dictionary for suspect we can also say "have a suspicion, have a feeling, feel, be inclined to think, fancy, reckon, guess, surmise, conjecture, think, think it probable/likely, have a sneaking feeling, have a hunch; be of the opinion, suppose, conclude, expect, presume, consider, deduce, infer, glean, sense, imagine; be afraid, fear, have a foreboding; formalopine "I began to suspect that she had made a mistake"
    – Ahmad
    Aug 4, 2015 at 14:28
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    For doubt synonyms are think something unlikely, have (one's) doubts about, question, query, be dubious, lack conviction, have reservations about "I doubt whether he will come"
    – Ahmad
    Aug 4, 2015 at 14:30
  • By the way, in the 18th and early 19th century, I doubt had pretty much the opposite meaning that it has today. I doubt it will be troublesome had the approximate meaning of I fear it will be troublesome in the current sense.
    – BobRodes
    Aug 4, 2015 at 22:09
  • If you doubt that it's true, you suspect that it is NOT true. Aug 5, 2015 at 8:56
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From vocabulary.com.

Suspect

To suspect someone of something is to believe that they probably did it.

  • hold in suspicion; believe to be guilty/imagine to be the case or true or probable
  • someone who is under suspicion (noun)
  • not as expected (adj)

doubt

When you're in doubt, you really can't tell what's true and what's false.

  • consider unlikely or have doubts about
  • the state of being unsure of something (noun)

(Both the words can be used as a verb and a noun, however, suspect can also be used as an adjective)

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