Word-Request – How to Describe ‘Half Believe, Half Doubt’

phrase-requestword-request

Is there any word or some idiomatic expression that would mean "half believe, half doubt"?

For example,

Having listened to that weird story, children half believed it, half doubted.

Meaning that none of the children fully believed the story.

Best Answer

As far as idioms are concerned, it's quite possible to express "half belief, half doubt" about something.

Do you think it will work out?

I'm on the fence about it.
I"m of two minds about it.

From Merriam-Webster:

on the fence
: in a position of neutrality or indecision

of two minds
: not decided or certain about something : having two opinions or ideas about something

Or, in a different context:

How sure are you about the plan?

I think it has a fifty-fifty chance of success.
I think it could go either way.

Also from Merriam-Webster:

fifty-fifty
2 : half favorable and half unfavorable
// a fifty-fifty chance

go either way
—used to say that either of two possible results is likely to occur and that neither is more likely than the other // I don't know who's going to win. The game could go either way.

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