questionable
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questionable
Describes something that raises doubts, mistrust, or concerns because it could be dishonest, illegal, immoral, or of poor quality.
Der Politiker trat wegen seiner fragwürdigen Geschäftsbeziehungen zurück.
The politician resigned because of his questionable business connections.
The word is made up of 'Frage' (question) and '-würdig' (-worthy). Something that is 'fragwürdig' (questionable) is therefore literally 'worthy of being called into question' because it raises doubts.
Seine Erklärung für die Verspätung klang ziemlich fragwürdig.
His explanation for the delay sounded pretty questionable.
The suffix '-würdig' means 'worth doing something to.' You also find it in other words, for example 'sehenswürdig' (worth seeing) or 'liebenswürdig' (lovable, literally worth being loved).
Die Methoden der Firma sind rechtlich fragwürdig.
The company's methods are legally questionable.
'Fragwürdig' (questionable) is often used to express mistrust toward moral, legal, or quality-related aspects. Common combinations are 'fragwürdige Methoden' (questionable methods), 'ein fragwürdiger Ruf' (a questionable reputation), or 'fragwürdige Qualität' (questionable quality).
Das Produkt hat eine fragwürdige Qualität und ging schnell kaputt.
The product is of questionable quality and broke quickly.
creative
'kreativ' and 'fragwürdig' can overlap in a specific context: when 'kreativ' is meant ironically, it sometimes describes methods that do not seem entirely proper. 'fragwürdig' says more directly that you have doubts or concerns, for example because something could be unfair, dishonest, or bad. In this use, 'kreativ' often sounds more cautious or mocking, while 'fragwürdig' is clearly more critical. Important: in its normal meaning, 'kreativ' is positive; only in ironic expressions can it move in the direction of 'fragwürdig'.
Der Vorschlag ist fragwürdig, weil er einigen Kunden wichtige Informationen verschweigt.
The proposal is questionable because it withholds important information from some customers.
Die kreative Buchführung der Firma hat später viele Fragen ausgelöst.
The company's creative accounting later raised many questions.