suspicious
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- distrustful, doubtful, sceptical, unbelieving, wary
- suspect, dodgy (Brit., Austral., & N.Z. informal), doubtful, dubious, fishy (informal), questionable

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Antonyms: unsuspicious
Contrasted words: trustful, trusting, unsuspecting, naive, dupable, easy, exploitable, gullible
Related Words: questionable, queer, careful, cautious, leery, wary, watchful, skeptical, unbelieving

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English Thesaurus: dishonest, corrupt, devious, underhand, sneaky, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

sus‧pi‧cious S3 /səˈspɪʃəs/ adjective
[Word Family: adjective: suspect, suspected, unsuspecting, suspicious; noun: suspect, suspicion; verb: suspect; adverb: suspiciously]

1. thinking that someone might be guilty of doing something wrong or dishonest
suspicious of
Some of his colleagues at work became suspicious of his behaviour.
suspicious about
They were suspicious about my past.
His reluctance to answer my questions made me suspicious.
She gave him a suspicious glance.
You’ve got a very suspicious mind!

2. making you think that something bad or illegal is happening:
They found a suspicious package under the seat.
a suspicious death
He was behaving in a highly suspicious manner.
a suspicious-looking character
something/anything/nothing suspicious
Call the police if you see anything suspicious.
Her mother had died in suspicious circumstances.

3. feeling that you do not trust someone or something Synonym : wary
suspicious of
She was always suspicious of strangers.
He was deeply suspicious of the legal system.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

suspicious
adj.
I. not trusting sb
VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get, grow I think they're starting to get suspicious.
remain | make sb Something about her smile made him suspicious.
ADV. deeply, extremely, highly, profoundly, very She remained deeply suspicious of computers.
increasingly | a bit, a little, rather, slightly, somewhat His voice grew faintly suspicious.
immediately, instantly | naturally I have a naturally suspicious mind.
rightly British voters are rightly suspicious of attempts to save money in the area of education.
PREP. about They were somewhat suspicious about her past.
of She was highly suspicious of his motives.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

suspicious
II. making you feel that sth is wrong
VERBS be, look, seem, sound We have to carry on as usual or it would look suspicious.
consider sth, find sth, regard sth as, treat sth as I find it very suspicious that he left halfway through the morning. Police are treating both fires as suspicious.
ADV. highly, very acting in a highly suspicious manner
not remotely Are you sure you haven't seen anything even remotely suspicious?
a bit, rather, somewhat
PHRASES see/hear anything suspicious Inform the police immediately if you see anything suspicious.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

suspicious
adjective
BAD: Before I actually started to use one, I was suspicious about the value of computers.
GOOD: Before I actually started to use one, I was sceptical about the value of computers.

Usage Note:
suspicious = thinking that someone may be guilty of doing something wrong: 'I started to get suspicious when he refused to tell me where he had been.'
sceptical = tending not to believe what people say about something: 'Many doctors remain highly sceptical about the value of alternative medicine.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

dishonest behaving in a way that is intended to deceive people, for example by lying, cheating, or stealing:
Are you accusing me of being dishonest?
The money was acquired through dishonest means.
People are no longer surprised to find that politicians are dishonest.
corrupt using your power in a dishonest way for your own advantage – used about people in official positions:
corrupt politicians
Law and order has broken down, and most government officials are corrupt.
devious /ˈdiːviəs/ good at secretly thinking of clever plans to trick people in order to get what you want:
You have a very devious mind!
They use all kinds of devious methods to find out your personal details.
underhand British English, underhanded American English underhand methods involve secretly deceiving people in order to get what you want:
In a series of underhand moves, Browne managed to gain control of the company.
sneaky doing or saying things secretly, in a way that seems wrong because it is slightly dishonest or unfair:
It was pretty sneaky when the bank charged me interest on my account without telling me.
sly deliberately behaving in a way that hides what you are really thinking or doing, in a way that is slightly dishonest:
Lucy decided not to tell him where she was going. She was often a bit sly like that.
He’s a sly old fox.
unscrupulous /ʌnˈskruːpjələs, ʌnˈskruːpjʊləs/ using dishonest and unfair methods to get what you want, without caring if you harm other people:
Some unscrupulous companies try to persuade people to borrow huge sums of money.
fraudulent /ˈfrɔːdjələnt, ˈfrɔːdjʊlənt $ ˈfrɒːdʒə-/ formal deliberately deceiving people in an illegal way in order to gain money or power:
You will be prosecuted if you make a fraudulent claim on your insurance policy.
suspicious if someone or something seems suspicious, they make you think that something dishonest or illegal is happening:
The police are treating the boy’s death as suspicious.
dubious if something seems dubious, you think it may not be completely true, right, or honest:
He has a rather dubious reputation.
It all sounds highly dubious to me.
the country’s dubious record on human rights
shady shady business deals or people seem to be dishonest or connected with secret and illegal activities:
Several senior members of the party had been involved in shady deals.
a shady character
shifty someone who looks shifty looks as if they are doing or planning something dishonest:
The man on the market stall looked a bit shifty when he gave me my change.
dodgy British English informal probably dishonest and not to be trusted – used especially to say that you do not want to be involved with someone or something:
There’s something a bit dodgy about him.
dodgy business deals

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲