Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Cast doubts on for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Cast-doubts-on" — phrase (verb), pronounced /kɑːst daʊts ɒn/, with the stress on "cast".
Narrator: To cast doubts on something means to cause people to feel uncertain about the truth, accuracy, or validity of a statement, claim, or reputation.
Narrator: In plain English, it means to make someone suspicious about whether something is actually real or correct.
Narrator: The phrase originates from the older sense of casting or throwing something like an anchor or a net, metaphorically throwing suspicion onto an idea.
Narrator: A common collocation is to cast doubts on the credibility of a witness, which describes challenging their reliability in a formal setting.
Narrator: It differs from the verb dispute, which implies an open argument, whereas casting doubts is often subtler and more about creating lingering uncertainty.
Narrator: Another figurative sense involves casting doubts on one's own capabilities, often due to imposter syndrome or lack of confidence.
Narrator: Legal, scientific, and journalistic fields rely on this phrase to describe the process of testing the soundness of evidence or hypotheses.
Narrator: So remember: when you cast doubts on something, you are introducing a shadow of suspicion that makes others hesitate to believe.
Speaker A: Why do we use the word cast when we talk about suspicion?
Speaker B: It is a fascinating piece of history where to CAST DOUBTS ON something draws from the medieval practice of casting lots or throwing objects to determine destiny or truth.
Speaker A: Does it imply the suspicion is then fixed in place?
Speaker B: Not necessarily, it just marks the beginning of uncertainty for others.
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: The new forensic evidence served to cast doubts on the original conviction, which challenges a legal verdict; the sudden resignation may cast doubts on the project's future, highlighting corporate uncertainty; and he refused to cast doubts on her integrity, showing unwavering trust.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: People often mistakenly pluralise the word doubt as a singular noun, but the standard idiom always requires the plural form doubts.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: The alternatives are challenge as a cousin, discredit as a twin, and question as a common alternative, and the phrase keeps its linguistic charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "cast-doubts-on" in AI prompts — useful for investigative report generation and critical analysis of technical documentation.
Speaker A: How do we incorporate this into a prompt for auditing a report?
Speaker B: Here is the first prompt for checking source integrity.
Prompt: Review the provided market analysis and identify any data gaps that might cast doubts on the long-term viability of the proposed strategy.
Speaker A: What about when we are checking software security?
Speaker B: Use this prompt to find potential flaws in code assumptions.
Prompt: Analyze the authentication module and highlight any vulnerabilities that cast doubts on the security of the user login flow.
Speaker A: That sounds very useful, could you try one for legal drafting?
Speaker B: Certainly, use this to test for ambiguity in a contract.
Prompt: Draft a critique of this clause that identifies specific phrasing which might cast doubts on the liability protections of the vendor.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: Here is the final prompt for scientific hypothesis testing.
Prompt: Examine the experimental methodology provided and list three variables that cast doubts on the reproducibility of the observed results.
Cast doubts on — meaning in Arabic & definition More C courses GL Dictionary