questionnaire

questionnaire — noun

1. a printed or online list of items that many people answer to provide information

1.nounB1
Definition

a printed or online list of items that many people answer to provide information or share their opinions for a study or survey

Example

The research team designed a questionnaire to gather feedback from local residents.

collocation: design a questionnaire

After the workshop, all participants filled out a questionnaire about the training session.

collocation: fill out a questionnaire

Common collocations
  • design a questionnaire
  • distribute a questionnaire
  • fill out a questionnaire
  • questionnaire data
  • questionnaire results
  • questionnaire survey
Synonyms
  • survey

    broader term that can refer to the entire study or methodology, not just the question list

  • form

    more general; any document with blank spaces, not necessarily research-related

  • poll

    usually covers a single question or vote, not a multi-question instrument

Usage Note

Questionnaire focuses on the full list of questions as a data-collection tool, whereas a poll typically asks only one question. Common with verbs such as design, distribute, fill out, and complete.

Common Mistakes

Please answer the questionnaire questions.
Please complete the questionnaire.
The word questionnaire already implies a list of questions, so 'questionnaire questions' is redundant.

2. a printed document with blank spaces where people can write their answers to a f

2.nounB1
Definition

a printed document with blank spaces where people can write their answers to a fixed list of questions

Example

Please complete this questionnaire and return it to the front desk by Friday.

collocation: complete / return a questionnaire

The nurse handed Hamza a questionnaire with spaces for his medical history.

Common collocations
  • complete a questionnaire
  • return a questionnaire
  • fill in a questionnaire
  • blank questionnaire
  • printed questionnaire
Synonyms
  • form

    a generic document with blank fields, not necessarily a set of survey questions

  • feedback form

    specifically for customer or attendee opinions, often shorter than a full questionnaire

Usage Note

This sense emphasises the physical or digital document itself — the printed sheet or online form that contains the questions and answer spaces. Frequently used with verbs such as complete, fill in, and return.

Common Mistakes

I filled out a questionary.
I filled out a questionnaire.
The word ends in -aire, not -ary, and is borrowed directly from French.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Survey is the broadest term — it can refer to the entire research project or methodology, not just the question list (e.g., 'conduct a survey of 500 households'). Form is a general document with blank spaces for any purpose (application form, order form), while a questionnaire is specifically for collecting opinions or data. Poll typically covers a single question or vote (e.g., 'an online poll about the election') rather than a multi-question instrument. Quiz tests knowledge or understanding (e.g., 'a vocabulary quiz') and is not used for gathering opinions. Choose questionnaire when you mean a structured set of questions used for research; use survey when referring to the whole process, and poll for a quick single-question vote.

survey ↗form ↗poll ↗quiz ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • questionnaire data
  • questionnaire results
  • questionnaire survey
  • questionnaire design

Prepositions

  • in a questionnaire
  • on a questionnaire

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Questionnaire was borrowed directly from French in the late 19th century. In French it means 'a list of questions,' built from the word question (question) with the suffix -aire (something that contains or is related to). The French word itself came from Latin quaestio, meaning 'a seeking, inquiry, or questioning.'