suspicious

adjective

sə-ˈspi-shəs How to pronounce suspicious (audio)
Definition of suspiciousnext
1
as in questionable
giving good reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged suspicious claims of being the rightful owner of the property

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in skeptical
inclined to doubt or question claims suspicious of any menu dish having a name she can't pronounce

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unsure
not feeling sure about the truth, wisdom, or trustworthiness of someone or something you should be very suspicious of those telephone calls from people telling you that you're the winner of a contest you never entered

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of suspicious 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 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 Broadly, though, the firms seem to have watched for accounts prompting their models in suspicious ways, whether by firing off lots of prompts in a short time or by asking telltale kinds of questions. — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for suspicious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suspicious
  1. questionable
  2. skeptical
  3. unsure
  4. dubious
  5. cautious
  6. uncertain
  7. disputable
  8. careful
Adjective
  • The task got even greater when Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, both of whom came into Sunday’s game as questionable, was given the go-ahead.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
  • But under pressure to lend, many loans went to questionable borrowers.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of questionable
Adjective
  • In one image, Grande’s Olivia Jones stands beside De Niro’s Byrnes, who wears a decidedly skeptical expression, her hand resting on his German shepherd.
    — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Jorge Piñón, an energy researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, is skeptical of the data and noted that only sanctioned Cuban state energy company CUPET has the capacity to store such a large quantity of fuel in one month.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of skeptical
Adjective
  • So fraternities promise that kind of friendship and loyalty, and also for young people, 18-year-olds, many of whom are unsure of themselves, fraternities and sororities say this is the way to be popular.
    — Richard Hall, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The department was unsure of the route the aircraft was trying to take, and the crash started a small grass fire that was quickly doused.
    — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of unsure
Adjective
  • Publicly available information from the Pike case, for instance, suggests that the drug may have been of dubious quality and extravasated during administration by Tennessee prison employees.
    — Dr. Jacob Appel, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The editorial praises the Shedd for trying to save the whales in this time of crisis, even though the animals had a record of previous poor living conditions and dubious care.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of dubious
Adjective
  • The actors Nael Nacer and Artemis Pebdani double as Haddad’s great-aunt and -uncle and parents, playing across a spectrum of discomfort and cautious support.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Feigenbaum offered a more cautious interpretation, describing some of the violent perpetrators as fringe provocateurs who exploit broader demonstrations without necessarily directing them.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of cautious
Adjective
  • Exactly how far south the aurora might appear remains uncertain and depends on how the incoming CMEs interact with Earth's magnetic field.
    — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • While companies often look to make supply-chain adjustments in the face of tariffs, that really hasn’t happened because the trade landscape is too uncertain to make long-term adjustments.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of uncertain
Adjective
  • But revenue coming in at double the projections is not disputable and cannot happen if the tax base runs away.
    — Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • However, disputable refereeing decisions, especially in the matches against Italy and Spain, led to allegations that South Korea may have benefited from favorable officiating.
    — Andrew Pereira, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 June 2026
Definition of disputable
Adjective
  • Democratic congressional candidates will also need to be careful about balancing partisan messages to their base with more measured appeals to independent voters.
    — Julio Borquez, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
  • But perhaps the biggest challenge of all was being extremely careful not to pass moral judgment on the story or any of the characters being portrayed.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of careful

Browse Nearby Words

suspicions
suspicious
suspiciously
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Cite this Entry

“Suspicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suspicious. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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