suspicious

adjective

sus·​pi·​cious sə-ˈspi-shəs 

1

: tending to arouse suspicion : questionable

suspicious characters

2

: disposed to suspect : distrustful

suspicious of strangers

3

: expressing or indicative of suspicion

a suspicious glance

suspiciously adverb

suspiciousness noun

Synonyms of suspicious

• questionable
• dubious
• disputable
• suspect
• doubtful
• problematic
• debatable

Examples of suspicious in a Sentence

We were instructed to report any suspicious activity in the neighborhood.

The suspicious vehicle was reported to police.

Suspicious characters were seen hanging around the bank.

He found a suspicious lump on his back and was afraid it might be cancer.

Officials are suspicious about her death.

His manner made me suspicious.

Recent Examples on the Web

Jackson County prosecutors announced the charges after police had investigated the circumstances of a suspicious death in the hospital on Thursday. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026

Users described suspicious system applications that reappeared after attempts to remove them. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Last week, suspicious packages were received in the mail at the offices of Central Florida congressmen Maxwell Frost and Darren Soto as well, the Orlando Sentinel reported. — Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026

Amazon said its threat intelligence team had detected attempts to exploit the vulnerabilities before they were publicly disclosed, using its MadPot threat detection system, which monitors suspicious activity across internet-facing infrastructure. — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for suspicious

• adventitious
• cementitious
• expeditious
• inauspicious
• injudicious
• meretricious
• repetitious
• superstitious
• surreptitious
• unambitious
• unpropitious
• unsuspicious

Kids Definition

suspicious

adjective

sus·​pi·​cious sə-ˈspish-əs 

1

: likely to arouse suspicion : questionable

suspicious behavior

2

: likely to suspect or distrust

suspicious of strangers

3

: showing suspicion

a suspicious glance

suspiciously adverb

suspiciousness noun