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

Cranor said a person’s risk depends on how often they are targeted, their security habits, their ability to recognize suspicious messages, and whether the lure really interests them. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026

Generally, people seem to like Jelly, Devin, and Brady, but Thien An is suspicious of Patt, and nobody really cares about Mike. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026

Pixel can warn about suspicious calls and messages, while some compatible Galaxy phones can detect scam patterns during calls. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Then in a complete coincidence that the show doesn’t even bother treating like anything other than a complete coincidence, Max discovers the records for a person who has been collecting social security since the program began, which is suspicious. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 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