suspicion
Americannoun
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act of suspecting.
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the state of mind or feeling of one who suspects.
Suspicion kept him awake all night long.
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an instance of suspecting something or someone.
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state of being suspected.
under suspicion; above suspicion.
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imagination of anything to be the case or to be likely; a vague notion of something.
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a slight trace, hint, or suggestion.
a suspicion of a smile.
verb (used with object)
noun
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the act or an instance of suspecting; belief without sure proof, esp that something is wrong
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the feeling of mistrust of a person who suspects
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the state of being suspected
to be shielded from suspicion
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a slight trace
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in such a position that no guilt may be thought or implied, esp through having an unblemished reputation
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as a suspect
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regarded with distrust
Usage
What does suspicion mean? Suspicion is the state or act of suspecting something—having a sense that it may be true without knowing with certainty.Suspicion can also refer to this sense, as in I had a suspicion that I was going to be fired, or an instance of suspecting someone of something, as in My suspicions turned out to be right—they had been stealing from the register.A suspicion is usually based on something, such as a hunch or some kind of evidence, but the word is typically used in situations in which there is some doubt—when someone suspects something, but isn’t sure.Suspicion is most commonly used in negative contexts, but this isn’t always the case. For example, you might have a suspicion that someone is planning a surprise party for you.Suspicion can also refer to a state of mind, as in He’s always been prone to suspicion. To regard something with suspicion is to regard it with distrust.Sometimes, suspicion refers to the state of being suspected, especially of a crime or other wrongdoing. This sense of the word is often used in phrases like under suspicion and on suspicion of, as in He was arrested on suspicion of robbery.Someone who’s considered highly trustworthy might be described as above suspicion, meaning you would never suspect them of doing anything wrong.The adjective suspicious can describe a person who has suspicions about others, as in My parents got suspicious when I kept asking whether they’d be home tomorrow, or someone or something that arouses suspicion, as in a suspicious package.Example: We have suspected it all along, and what happened today confirmed our suspicions.
Related Words
Suspicion, distrust are terms for a feeling that appearances are not reliable. Suspicion is the positive tendency to doubt the trustworthiness of appearances and therefore to believe that one has detected possibilities of something unreliable, unfavorable, menacing, or the like: to feel suspicion about the honesty of a prominent man. Distrust may be a passive want of trust, faith, or reliance in a person or thing: to feel distrust of one's own ability.
Other Word Forms
- presuspicion noun
- self-suspicion noun
- supersuspicion noun
- suspicional adjective
- suspicionless adjective
Etymology
Origin of suspicion
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin suspīciōn- (stem of suspīciō ), equivalent to suspīc- (variant stem of suspicere “to look from below, suspect” ) + -iōn- -ion; suspect
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
My suspicion is that your issues with this boy have less to do with his debt and are more linked to what you think it says about his character.
From MarketWatch
Authorities have since treated large, spontaneous public gatherings with suspicion.
How much of your suspicions are rooted in fears rather than reality?
From MarketWatch
South Yorkshire Police said a 26-year-old man had been arrested by Police Scotland in Aberdeen on Saturday night, along with a 23-year-old woman, who was being held on suspicion of assisting an offender.
From BBC
This raised the suspicions of casino staff, who allegedly caught them in the act on Thursday.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
