suspect

¹sus·pect

adjective \ˈsəs-ˌpekt, sə-ˈspekt\

Definition of SUSPECT

1

: regarded or deserving to be regarded with suspicion : suspected <investigates suspect employees>

2

: doubtful, questionable <whose skills are suspect — Peter Vecsey>

Examples of SUSPECT

1. The room had a suspect odor.
2. <since she was carrying no cash or credit cards, her claim to the store's detectives that she had intended to pay for the items was suspect>

Origin of SUSPECT

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin suspectus, from past participle of suspicere

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to SUSPECT

Synonyms

debatable, disputable, dodgy [chiefly British], doubtable, dubious, dubitable, equivocal, fishy, problematic (also problematical), queer, questionable, shady, shaky, doubtful, suspicious

Antonyms

certain, hands-down, incontestable, indisputable, indubitable, questionless, sure, undeniable, undoubted, unproblematic, unquestionable

Related Words

alleged, so-called, supposed; moot; ambiguous, open, unclear; uncertain, undecided, undetermined; far-fetched, flimsy, improbable, unlikely, weak

Near Antonyms

decisive, definitive; clear, obvious, open-and-shut, positive

Rhymes with SUSPECT

abject, advect, affect, aspect, bisect, cathect, collect, confect, connect, convect, correct, cowl-necked, defect, deflect, deject, detect, direct, Dordrecht, effect, eject, elect, erect, ewe-necked, expect, goosenecked, infect, inflect, inject, insect, inspect, neglect, object, pandect, porrect, prefect, prelect, project, prospect, protect, refect, reflect, reject, resect, respect, ring-necked, roll-necked, select, stiff-necked, subject, traject, transect, trisect, Utrecht, V-necked

²sus·pect

noun \ˈsəs-ˌpekt\

Definition of SUSPECT

: one that is suspected; especially : a person suspected of a crime

Examples of SUSPECT

1. One suspect has been arrested.
2. She is a possible suspect in connection with the kidnapping.
3. The prime suspect for the food poisoning is the potato salad.

First Known Use of SUSPECT

1591

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

³sus·pect

verb \sə-ˈspekt\

Definition of SUSPECT

transitive verb

1

: to imagine (one) to be guilty or culpable on slight evidence or without proof <suspect him of giving false information>

2

: to have doubts of : distrust <suspects her motives>

3

: to imagine to exist or be true, likely, or probable <I suspect he's right>

intransitive verb

: to imagine something to be true or likely

Examples of SUSPECT

1. He's suspected in four burglaries.
2. The police do not suspect murder in this case.
3. The fire chief suspects arson.
4. I suspect it will rain.
5. Call the doctor immediately if you suspect you've been infected.
6. The latest research confirms what scientists have long suspected.
7. I suspect she's not who she says she is.
8. “We haven't done our homework.” “I suspected as much.”
9. I suspected his motives in giving me the money.
10. I have reason to suspect her sincerity when she makes promises like that.

Origin of SUSPECT

Middle English, from Latin suspectare, frequentative of suspicere to look up at, regard with awe, suspect, from sub-, sus- up, secretly + specere to look at — more at sub-, spy

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to SUSPECT

Synonyms

assume, conjecture, daresay, imagine, presume, speculate, suppose, surmise, guess, suspicion [chiefly dialect]

Antonyms

trust

Related Words

conclude, deduce, gather, infer; hypothecate, hypothesize, theorize; believe, conceive, expect, judge, reckon [chiefly dialect], take, think

Near Antonyms

demonstrate, document, establish, prove, substantiate, validate; ascertain, determine, find out, learn