suspicious

suspicious — adjective

1. describing a situation, event, or person's behaviour that makes you think someth

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describing a situation, event, or person's behaviour that makes you think something dishonest, illegal, or harmful might be going on

Example

A parcel left outside the empty house looked suspicious, so the neighbour called the police.

look + suspicious (predicative use)

Sumin noticed a suspicious van parked near her daughter's school every morning.

suspicious before a noun (attributive use)

Common collocations
  • suspicious activity
  • suspicious package
  • suspicious behaviour
  • suspicious circumstances
  • suspicious death
  • look suspicious
  • seem suspicious
  • appear suspicious
Synonyms
  • questionable

    less strong; suggests something is doubtful rather than clearly wrong

  • dubious

    slightly more formal; suggests something is morally or factually uncertain

  • shady

    informal; strongly suggests dishonesty or illegal intent

Antonyms
  • innocent

    describes something that is not connected to wrongdoing

  • above board

    idiom; describes something open, honest, and legal

Grammar Patterns

suspicious + noun

be/look/seem + suspicious

anything/everything + suspicious

Usage Note

Commonly used to describe objects, situations, or behaviour — not the person who feels doubt. A 'suspicious package' is a package that arouses suspicion; a 'suspicious person' is someone whose actions look dishonest, not someone who feels distrust.

Common Mistakes

I felt suspicious about the package on the street.
The package on the street looked suspicious.
When you mean something arouses suspicion, use the adjective to describe the thing itself, not your own feeling.

2. having a feeling that someone or something may be dishonest or dangerous, even w

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

having a feeling that someone or something may be dishonest or dangerous, even when you do not have strong proof

Example

Layla grew suspicious of the mechanic after she kept increasing the repair bill.

grew suspicious of [sb]

The cat was suspicious of the new dog for several weeks before they became friends.

subject is an animal; suspicious of [sth]

Common collocations
  • suspicious of
  • become suspicious of
  • grow suspicious of
  • remain suspicious of
  • deeply suspicious
  • highly suspicious
  • a suspicious look
  • a suspicious glance
Synonyms
  • distrustful

    more formal; suggests a general unwillingness to trust rather than a specific doubt

  • wary

    describes cautious alertness rather than active suspicion; less negative

  • sceptical

    describes doubt about the truth of a claim, not suspicion of wrongdoing

Antonyms
  • trusting

    describes a person who is willing to believe others

  • confident

    describes a feeling of certainty and trust

Grammar Patterns

be/become/grow + suspicious + of + noun/pronoun

suspicious + look/glance (attributive)

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person or living creature who feels distrust. Often followed by 'of' ('suspicious of the offer'). Distinguish from sense 1 — sense 1 describes the thing that causes suspicion (e.g., 'a suspicious noise'), while sense 2 describes the person who feels it (e.g., 'I am suspicious of that noise'). Can also appear before nouns of expression: 'a suspicious look' means a look that shows distrust.

Common Mistakes

The empty wallet on the pavement was suspicious of the thief.
The old woman was suspicious of the stranger who offered to carry her bags.
Only a person (or creature) can be 'suspicious of' something. Objects that arouse doubt use sense 1 instead.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

Suspicious and distrustful both describe a lack of trust, but suspicious often points to a specific, unproven belief that something is wrong ('She was suspicious of the sudden offer'), while distrustful suggests a more general unwillingness to trust anyone ('He was distrustful of all strangers after the robbery'). Wary describes cautious alertness rather than active suspicion — a wary person watches carefully but does not necessarily assume bad intent ('The hikers were wary of the narrow path'). Sceptical refers to doubt about the truth of a statement or claim, not about someone's honesty ('The scientist was sceptical of the study's results'). In short: suspicious = suspecting wrongdoing; distrustful = habitually lacking trust; wary = cautious; sceptical = doubting a claim's truth.

suspicious ↗distrustfulwary ↗sceptical ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • deeply suspicious
  • highly suspicious
  • increasingly suspicious
  • slightly suspicious
  • naturally suspicious
  • immediately suspicious

Phrases

  • regard with suspicion

Prepositions

  • suspicious of
  • suspicious about

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Comes from Latin 'suspicere', meaning 'to look up at' or 'to look askance at', formed from 'sub-' (up from under) and 'specere' (to look). The idea was that a suspicious person looks sideways or from below — not meeting someone directly. It passed through Old French 'suspectieux' before entering English in the 1300s. The sense split — describing both the thing that raises doubt (sense 1) and the person who feels it (sense 2) — developed over the following centuries.