suspicious
Americanadjective
-
tending to cause or excite suspicion; questionable.
suspicious behavior.
-
inclined to suspect, especially inclined to suspect evil; distrustful.
a suspicious tyrant.
- Synonyms:
- wary, mistrustful
-
full of or feeling suspicion.
-
expressing or indicating suspicion.
a suspicious glance.
adjective
-
exciting or liable to excite suspicion; questionable
-
disposed to suspect something wrong
-
indicative or expressive of suspicion
Usage
What does suspicious mean? To be suspicious is to have a suspicion about someone or something, especially to have a feeling of distrust about the person or thing. To be suspicious of someone most often involves suspecting that they are engaged in some wrongdoing, as in My parents became suspicious of me when I kept asking whether they’d be home tomorrow.The word is commonly used to describe a person who is suspicious of someone or something in a specific situation. Sometimes, though, it’s used to describe a person who’s suspicious in general—meaning that they’re generally skeptical or distrustful. It can also be used to describe something, such as an action, that indicates that a person is suspicious, as in She gave me a suspicious look that meant she knew I was up to something.Suspicious can also be used to describe someone or something that causes suspicion, as in The guards are trained to identify suspicious people, suspicious behavior, and suspicious packages.Being suspicious 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. The same thing is implied by the verb suspect and the noun suspicion.Suspicious is most commonly used in negative contexts, but this isn’t always the case. For example, you might be suspicious that someone is planning a surprise party for you.Example: Police are encouraging citizens to alert the authorities if they see any suspicious activity on the subway.
Other Word Forms
- hypersuspicious adjective
- hypersuspiciously adverb
- hypersuspiciousness noun
- oversuspicious adjective
- oversuspiciously adverb
- oversuspiciousness noun
- presuspicious adjective
- presuspiciously adverb
- presuspiciousness noun
- self-suspicious adjective
- supersuspicious adjective
- supersuspiciously adverb
- supersuspiciousness noun
- suspiciously adverb
- suspiciousness noun
- unsuspicious adjective
- unsuspiciously adverb
- unsuspiciousness noun
Etymology
Origin of suspicious
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin suspīciōsus, from suspīci(ō) “mistrust” ( suspicion ) + -ōsus -ous
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.
Officers are keen to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious in the Drakemire Avenue area in the following days.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
Is it possible that what looks very suspicious to you and me is sloppiness somehow?
From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026
Your grandmother’s will should have been filed in probate court and can be examined for anything suspicious.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026
Ms. Lewin is particularly suspicious of Keats House in London’s Hampstead, where the poet lived for less than two years, hardly long enough to leave a material impression on his surroundings.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
“Yes, but you didn’t have to make an enemy of those men. Why did you first tell him you didn’t see the boy and then say you did? He must have been suspicious immediately.”
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
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.
