1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

suspiciously

adverb

as in incredulously
with distrust eyed me suspiciously when I snapped my book shut and hurriedly stuffed it into my bag

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of suspiciously In Silent Hill 2, the game starts with James Sunderland reading a note from his dead wife, giving us a reason to move into this suspiciously foggy town. — Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026 As Kanter tells it, Sky owner Michael Alter alerted arena security that the former Boston Celtics and New York Knicks big man had suspiciously used a courtside ticket that wasn’t purchased in his name. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 Sep. 2026 Meanwhile, Kyle and his usual pair of special-forces thugs track down a suspiciously large plane (as in, big enough to fly across the Atlantic) and an equally suspicious flight manifest. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026 The Future Has Arrived | Cybercab Unlike the case with virtually every other robotaxi business, Tesla kept this launch suspiciously quiet. — New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026 During these walking meditations my notebook starts to feel suspiciously similar to the luckless young climber’s selfie camera. — Brian Laidlaw, Longreads, 1 Sep. 2026 There comes a point in every woman’s life when a mid-calf floral skirt starts looking suspiciously like the best thing in your wardrobe. — Georgia Brown, Glamour, 29 Aug. 2026 Somewhere along the way, a weekend of live music starts looking suspiciously like project management. — Svetlana Khachiyan, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 This is, of course, projection; eagles are always glaring suspiciously. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suspiciously
  1. incredulously
  2. sideways
  3. warily
  4. dubiously
  5. doubtfully
  6. skeptically
  7. askance
  8. negatively
Adverb
  • Gulliver incredulously witnesses people attempting to extract sunbeams from cucumbers and turn excrement back into edible food.
    — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Some people go so far as to repeat the nickname incredulously, or to make fun of it.
    — Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of incredulously
Adverb
  • As the longtime partners wrestle with their dark pasts and present conspiracies, Chris’ newfound bond with a pair of students (Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas) threatens to send everyone’s trip sideways.
    — Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026
  • And, of course, I’ve been criticized up and down and sideways for that.
    — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of sideways
Adverb
  • He's been viewed warily by some Jewish voters, which he's tried to address by apologizing for some past controversial comments.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Ever since the outbreak of war with Iran earlier this year, motorists have been warily eyeing prices at the pump.
    — Kevin Williams, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of warily
Adverb
  • Wolff’s goal was the winner, dubiously allowed as Clint Mathis’ hand clearly helped the ball onto Wolff.
    — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The details of how the Padres finally put to bed an 8-7 victory with Ty France’s tiebreaking home run and three scoreless innings from the bullpen were almost footnotes to the game’s dubiously historic beginning.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2026
Definition of dubiously
Adverb
  • But in this case, the story is very doubtfully true.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
Definition of doubtfully
Adverb
  • Treat any such composite skeptically until independent validation catches up.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026
  • No one can reliably do that, and any allocator or platform that implies otherwise should be treated skeptically.
    — Steven Brod, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of skeptically
Adverb
  • Candidates and their backers also typically knock on doors to get signatures, but that’s not an option this year as people look askance at strangers on their doorsteps.
    — Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 18 May 2020
  • True, lots of good white progressives look askance at businessmen who amass vast fortunes.
    — John Powers, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2020
Definition of askance
Adverb
  • Alegre said the immigration crackdown is reducing foot traffic at restaurants and retailers, negatively affecting the economy.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
  • These decisions ultimately negatively impacted the taxpayers, pilfered away tax dollars, and added to existing cost-of-living issues, whether in small amounts (Daytona Beach Ford 250 pickup trucks) or large ones (Gainesville GRU).
    — Peggy Gossett-Seidman, Sun Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of negatively

Browse Nearby Words

suspicious
suspiciously
suspiciousness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Suspiciously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suspiciously. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of argot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All