Synonyms of suspect

suspect 1 of 3

noun

as in defendant

Related Words

• defendant
• culprit
• offender
• arrestee
• fish
• criminal
• detainee
• accused
• accomplice
• lawbreaker
• principal
• misdemeanant
• miscreant
• crook
• malefactor
• outlaw
• perpetrator
• convict
• perp
• desperado
• villain
• jailbird
• trespasser
• wrongdoer
• sinner
• thug
• transgressor
• gangster
• hoodlum
• mobster
• hooligan
• racketeer
• misdoer
• gallows bird
• misfeasor
• button man
• evildoer
• blackhander

Dissimilar Words

• lawman
• gangbuster

suspect

2 of 3

verb

sə-ˈspekt 

1

as in to guess

to form an opinion from little or no evidence

we suspected that the runaway was a little younger than the 16 she claimed to be—more like 13

Synonyms & Similar Words

• guess
• assume
• suppose
• think
• presume
• imagine
• speculate
• suspicion
• surmise
• believe
• daresay
• conjecture
• infer
• conclude
• expect
• deduce
• hypothesize
• gather
• theorize
• reckon
• judge
• conceive
• hypothecate
• take

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• prove
• establish
• demonstrate
• determine
• learn
• ascertain
• document
• validate
• find out
• substantiate

2

as in to doubt

to have no trust or confidence in

I suspected him from the moment he said he was an old friend of my sister's, since I probably would have heard about him

Synonyms & Similar Words

• doubt
• question
• distrust
• mistrust
• misdoubt
• disbelieve
• discredit
• discount
• negate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• trust
• depend (on or upon)
• rely (on or upon)
• count (on or upon)
• bank (on or upon)

suspect

3 of 3

adjective

ˈsə-ˌspekt 

as in questionable

giving good reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• questionable
• suspicious
• dubious
• disputable
• doubtful
• problematic
• debatable
• alleged
• fishy
• unclear
• ambiguous
• shaky
• queer
• equivocal
• unlikely
• shady
• doubtable
• dodgy
• dubitable
• supposed
• uncertain
• weak
• moot
• undetermined
• improbable
• undecided
• so-called
• flimsy
• open
• far-fetched

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sure
• certain
• indisputable
• undeniable
• undoubted
• unquestionable
• incontestable
• unproblematic
• indubitable
• definitive
• obvious
• decisive
• questionless
• clear
• positive
• hands-down
• open-and-shut

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of suspect

Noun

On Tuesday, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of an arson suspect who is believed to have started one of the blazes currently threatening Spokane, Washington, and the surrounding area. — Cyrus Farivar, ArsTechnica, 4 Aug. 2026

The search for a murder suspect thought to have fled to California got impetus from the release last week of new images — and, before that, from the death of Robert Redford. — Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2026

Verb

Anyone who suspects human trafficking can contact Florida’s trafficking hotline at 1-855-FLA-SAFE. — Eric Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026

Some details are emerging about the man suspected of opening fire outside an In-N-Out Burger location in Idaho over the weekend, killing three people, as a motive in the mass shooting remains under investigation. — ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026