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

More than 100 police as well as army personnel were deployed to find Ingram, and the town's 1,100 residents were urged to stay indoors and report anything suspicious. —Arkansas Online, 24 Jan. 2026

Wethersfield police are investigating a suspicious death after finding a person unresponsive in their vehicle, officials said. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2026

This means that the probabilities for the null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis remain completely unchanged by this suspicious draw. —Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 24 Jan. 2026

Many password managers also warn you if a site looks suspicious or fake. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Jan. 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