suspicious

[suh-spish-uhs]

adjective

1. tending to cause or excite suspicion; questionable.

   suspicious behavior.

   Synonyms: doubtful, dubious, suspect

2. inclined to suspect, especially inclined to suspect evil; distrustful.

   a suspicious tyrant.

   Synonyms: wary, mistrustful

3. full of or feeling suspicion.

4. expressing or indicating suspicion.

   a suspicious glance.

suspicious

/ səˈspɪʃəs /

adjective

1. exciting or liable to excite suspicion; questionable

2. disposed to suspect something wrong

3. indicative or expressive of suspicion

Other Word Forms

• suspiciously adverb
• suspiciousness noun
• 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
• unsuspicious adjective
• unsuspiciously adverb
• unsuspiciousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of suspicious¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin suspīciōsus, from suspīci(ō) “mistrust” ( suspicion ) + -ōsus -ous

Example Sentences

Those suspicious of King’s version of events took Swiatkowski’s version as gospel.

Read more on Salon

Investigators first became suspicious when the septuagenarian ringleader attempted to sell two supposedly original paintings by Picasso on the art market.

Read more on BBC

At first, the crew track a number of surface vessels, using the aircraft's cameras to look for any suspicious equipment or activity.

Read more on BBC

"Authoritarian leaders are always suspicious of even their inner circle, and because of that, they create mechanisms for monitoring them and ensuring loyalty," he said.

Read more on BBC

Such incidents have rattled homeowners, many of whom participate in the neighborhood-watch-style WhatsApp group that Stern messaged, where they trade information about porch pirates, solicitors and people they deem suspicious.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• apprehensive 
• careful 
• cautious 
• doubtful 
• incredulous 
• jealous 
• leery 
• mistrustful 
• skeptical 
• wary 
• watchful 

When To Use

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.