Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Arousing or apt to arouse suspicion; questionable.
  • adjective Tending to suspect; distrustful.
  • adjective Expressing suspicion.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Inclined to suspect; apt to imagine without proof; entertaining suspicion or distrust; distrustful; mistrustful.
  • Indicating suspicion, mistrust, or fear.
  • Liable to cause suspicion; adapted to raise suspicion; questionable: as, suspicious innovations; a person met under suspicious circumstances.
  • Synonyms Jealous.
  • Doubtful, dubious.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Inclined to suspect; given or prone to suspicion; apt to imagine without proof.
  • adjective Indicating suspicion, mistrust, or fear.
  • adjective Liable to suspicion; adapted to raise suspicion; giving reason to imagine ill; questionable.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Arousing suspicion.
  • adjective distrustful or tending to suspect.
  • adjective Expressing suspicion

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective not as expected
  • adjective openly distrustful and unwilling to confide

Etymologies

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Examples

  • “Ladies,” he said, his expression suspicious as his gaze slid from one computer to another.

    Vanished Kate Brian 2010

  • One candidate, Yaroslau Ramanchuk,was in what he calls a suspicious car accident last week, and on Monday, he showed up for a meeting with students and professors in Minsk, the capital, only to learn that city authorities had closed down the hall where they were to get together because of "problems" with the sewage system.

    Belarus looks east and west as presidential elections approach Will Englund 2010

  • One candidate, Yaroslau Ramanchuk,was in what he calls a suspicious car accident last week, and on Monday, he showed up for a meeting with students and professors in Minsk, the capital, only to learn that city authorities had closed down the hall where they were to get together because of "problems" with the sewage system.

    Belarus looks east and west as presidential elections approach Will Englund 2010

  • He saw an individual riding on a bicycle right here on the island in what he described as a suspicious manner.

    CNN Transcript Mar 6, 2008 2008

  • SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of attention on Disney World today, local sheriff's officials investigating what they call a suspicious incident, this after workers noticed a small explosion just after midnight last night at a Dumpster.

    CNN Transcript Jul 2, 2007 2007

  • Now in another twist in the Laci Peterson case, CNN has spoken with a potential defense witness, and he says that he saw a-- what he describes as a suspicious van at a gas station in Laci's neighborhood.

    CNN Transcript May 23, 2003 2003

  • But Israelis, because of the ongoing Palestinian attacks, have become accustomed to keeping their eyes peeled for any suspicious -- what they call a suspicious movement or potential bombers, and that's apparently what happened today.

    CNN Transcript Oct 27, 2002 2002

  • He tells me they have found what he calls a suspicious letter in one of the offices in the suite of offices of Senator Tom Daschle, the Senate majority leader, however not in the Hart office budding. where that other letter that was anthrax-laced was found back in October.

    CNN Transcript Jan 3, 2002 2002

  • And Fred ran down the stairs, and out of the house, almost hoping somebody might attempt to rob, or murder him even, so that his revolver might prove of great avail, and thus silence Nellie, who was ever talking about what she called his suspicious nature, when it was only necessary caution, he thought.

    Edna's Sacrifice and Other Stories Frances Henshaw Baden

  • The hospital reported what they called a "suspicious birth" involving Coy on Wednesday.

    KansasCity.com: Front Page 2011

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