suspiciously

suspiciously — adverb

1. describes actions or appearances that make people suspect something is not right

1.adverbB2
Definition

describes actions or appearances that make people suspect something is not right or may be going wrong.

Example

The house was suspiciously quiet when Saira arrived home from work.

suspiciously + adjective (quiet) for describing a situation

A cardboard box sat suspiciously open on the desk, though no one was supposed to be in the office.

suspiciously + adjective (open) modifying a state

Common collocations
  • suspiciously quiet
  • suspiciously empty
  • suspiciously clean
  • look suspiciously
  • seem suspiciously
Synonyms
  • strangely

    less accusing; simply unusual rather than possibly wrong

  • ominously

    stronger suggestion that something bad is coming; more dramatic

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

verb + suspiciously

suspiciously + adjective

Usage Note

Common with verbs and adjectives that describe appearance or state: look, seem, sound, feel, quiet, empty, clean.

Common Mistakes

The room was suspicious.' (when describing the room itself as seeming wrong).
The room was suspiciously quiet.
Use 'suspiciously' + adjective when you mean 'in a way that makes people wonder if something is wrong,' not just 'suspicious' as a label for the thing itself.

2. used when the manner in which someone acts makes others think they might be guil

2.adverbB2
Definition

used when the manner in which someone acts makes others think they might be guilty of doing something wrong.

Example

The security guard watched the two men suspiciously as they walked toward the locked gate.

verb + suspiciously (watched) describing a doubting gaze

Élise looked at the empty cookie jar suspiciously, then turned to her younger brother.

Common collocations
  • act suspiciously
  • behave suspiciously
  • look at someone suspiciously
  • eye someone suspiciously
  • watch suspiciously
Synonyms
  • doubtfully

    less strong; expresses uncertainty rather than active suspicion

  • skeptically

    implies a questioning attitude rather than a belief in guilt

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

verb + suspiciously

act + suspiciously

look + at + noun + suspiciously

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person whose behaviour or expression causes others to suspect wrongdoing. Often used with verbs of watching or observing: look at, eye, watch, regard.

Common Mistakes

He looked suspicious at me.' (when you mean he looked at me with doubt).
He looked at me suspiciously.
After verbs like 'look,' 'stare,' or 'watch,' use the adverb 'suspiciously' to describe how the action is done.

3. to a degree that surprises people and makes them wonder whether something is gen

3.adverbB2
Definition

to a degree that surprises people and makes them wonder whether something is genuine or is simply a coincidence.

Example

The antique vase looked suspiciously like a modern copy, right down to the maker's mark.

suspiciously + like + noun phrase for surprising similarity

Henry's rent for the Manhattan apartment was suspiciously low, even for a shared space.

suspiciously + adjective (low) for surprising degree

Common collocations
  • suspiciously similar
  • suspiciously like
  • suspiciously low
  • suspiciously close to
Synonyms
  • uncannily

    stresses a supernatural or eerie quality rather than mere doubt

  • remarkably

    neutral; does not carry the implication that something is wrong

Grammar Patterns

suspiciously + adjective

suspiciously + like + noun phrase

Usage Note

This sense typically modifies an adjective or appears in the pattern 'suspiciously like [noun].' It does NOT express doubt about a person — it describes an unexpected degree of resemblance or quality.

Common Mistakes

The price is very suspicious.' (when describing a price that seems too good to be true).
The price is suspiciously low.
Use the adverb to describe the surprising degree of the quality; the adjective 'suspicious' would label the price itself as untrustworthy.
Idioms

look/sound suspiciously like something

idiom

To be so similar to something that it makes you think something is wrong.

The new building looks suspiciously like the old one that burned down.

Did that excuse sound suspiciously like the one you used last week?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four adverbs describe something that deviates from normal expectations. 'Suspiciously' carries the strongest implication of potential wrongdoing — if a room is suspiciously quiet, you feel something bad might have happened there. 'Strangely' is more neutral; a strangely quiet room might simply be unusual without suggesting danger. 'Oddly' is similar but slightly more informal, often used for minor or amusing deviations ('oddly dressed'). 'Curiously' emphasises that the unexpected quality sparks interest or puzzlement rather than alarm. For example: 'The car was suspiciously parked near the bank's back door' (implies possible crime) vs. 'The car was curiously parked on the lawn' (just weird, not criminal).

suspiciously ↗strangely ↗oddly ↗curiously ↗

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed in English from the adjective 'suspicious' (which came via Old French 'suspicious' from Latin 'suspiciosus', based on 'suspicio' meaning 'mistrust' or 'suspicion') plus the adverb-forming suffix '-ly'. The word has been used since the 1500s to describe actions or qualities that arouse distrust.