Indubbio

Indubbio is an Italian adjective meaning beyond doubt or unquestionable. It is used to indicate that a claim, fact, or quality is clearly true, well established, or widely accepted. In English, it corresponds to terms such as undeniable, indubitable, or unquestionable. The word is common in formal and literary Italian, and can appear in editorial, academic, or rhetorical contexts, as well as in careful everyday speech.

Etymology and form: indubbio is formed from the prefix in- attached to dubbio, the noun for doubt. Dubbio derives from the Latin verb dubitare (to doubt), with the resulting adjective indubbio signaling the negation of doubt or the presence of no doubt. The form agrees with the noun it modifies: indubbio (masculine singular), indubbia (feminine singular), indubbi (masculine plural), indubbie (feminine plural).

Usage and nuance: indubbio conveys a strong sense of certainty. It is appropriate for stating that something is proven, evident, or beyond reasonable dispute. It is less suitable for casual or purely subjective judgments and may sound overly authoritative in everyday conversation if overused. Common collocations include indubbio beneficio, indubbia prova, or essere indubbio che + clause (It is undoubted that …).

Translations and equivalents: in various contexts, indubbio can be rendered as undeniable, indubitable, unquestionable, or beyond doubt. It shares a semantic field with terms like innegabile and evidente, though indubbio carries a particularly formal, verdict-oriented nuance.

See also: indubitably, evidentia, certezza.