Definition of suspicious
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
adverbsuspiciousness
nounFrom the M-W Editors
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 of suspicious from the Web
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If the White House knew about this and said nothing, that looks suspicious.
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In a statement, the hospital said that a suspicious mass was found on Liu’s liver in a checkup on May 31, and he was diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer that had already metastasized throughout his body.
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Coral Gables police and the city of Miami bomb squad were dealing with the suspicious package.
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Locals still report lurking fighters and suspicious packages to the plethora of security forces in the city.
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While the federal government allows banks to work with cannabis businesses in states that have passed laws approving recreational marijuana, banks still have to file suspicious activities reports in addition to following standard banking guidelines.
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His critics remain suspicious, seeing in this switch a back-door route to dictatorship.
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Also suspicious are any foods left out for several hours, like the classic potato salad at the family picnic or fried rice at a Chinese buffet.
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If the development isn’t generally suspicious, the specific timing and extent of it certainly is.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'suspicious.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of suspicious
14th century
SUSPICIOUS Defined for English Language Learners
suspicious
playDefinition of suspicious for English Language Learners
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: causing a feeling that something is wrong or that someone is behaving wrongly : causing suspicion
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: having or showing a feeling that something is wrong or that someone is behaving wrongly : feeling or showing suspicion
SUSPICIOUS Defined for Kids
suspicious
playDefinition of suspicious for Students
1 : likely to arouse suspicion suspicious actions
2 : likely to distrust or be distrustful Trolls are … mighty suspicious about anything new to them. — J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
3 : showing distrust a suspicious glance
Learn More about suspicious
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See words that rhyme with suspicious Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for suspicious Spanish Central: Translation of suspicious Nglish: Translation of suspicious for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of suspicious for Arabic speakers
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