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
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
Water testing has been temporarily increased to once a month at the Oceanside Harbor after someone reported seeing a suspicious liquid dumped from a boat. —
Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026 In October, Havens ran off after attendees at a school volleyball game notified a Will County sheriff’s office school resource officer of suspicious behavior, according to a sheriff’s news release at the time. —Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026 When the victims became suspicious, Green shot the driver in the chest. —Frederick Sutton Sinclair, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026 At the same time, teams and their athletes signing sponsorship and endorsement deals with the same company occurs in modern sports and is not automatically suspicious. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 24 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for suspicious
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.
Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026 In October, Havens ran off after attendees at a school volleyball game notified a Will County sheriff’s office school resource officer of suspicious behavior, according to a sheriff’s news release at the time. —Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026 When the victims became suspicious, Green shot the driver in the chest. —Frederick Sutton Sinclair, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026 At the same time, teams and their athletes signing sponsorship and endorsement deals with the same company occurs in modern sports and is not automatically suspicious. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 24 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for suspicious
Cite this Entry
“Suspicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/suspicious. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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