SUSPICIOUS: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for SUSPICIOUS?

Need another word that means the same as “suspicious”? Find 33 synonyms and 30 related words for “suspicious” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Suspicious” are: fishy, funny, shady, suspect, leery, mistrustful, untrusting, wary, doubtful, unsure, dubious, chary, sceptical, distrustful, disbelieving, apprehensive, cynical, jaundiced, disreputable, unsavoury, slippery, questionable, odd, strange, irregular, queer, under suspicion, mysterious, murky, dark, criminal, dishonest, corrupt

Suspicious as an Adjective

Definitions of "Suspicious" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “suspicious” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Having or showing a cautious distrust of someone or something.
• Causing one to have the idea or impression that someone or something is questionable, dishonest, or dangerous.
• Openly distrustful and unwilling to confide.
• Not as expected.
• Having the belief or impression that someone is involved in an illegal or dishonest activity.

Synonyms of "Suspicious" as an adjective (33 Words)

apprehensive	Mentally upset over possible misfortune or danger etc. A kind and apprehensive friend.
chary	Cautiously or suspiciously reluctant to do something. Chary of the risks involved.
corrupt	Evil or morally depraved. The old corrupt order.
criminal	Guilty of crime or serious offense. He may never fulfil his potential and that would be a criminal waste.
cynical	Believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity. Her cynical attitude.
dark	Used of color having a dark hue. So many dark deeds had been committed.
disbelieving	Denying or questioning the tenets of especially a religion. The disbelieving look in her eyes.
dishonest	Behaving or prone to behave in an untrustworthy, deceitful, or insincere way. Dishonest politicians.
disreputable	Lacking respectability in character or behavior or appearance. He was heavy grubby and vaguely disreputable.
distrustful	Feeling or showing distrust of someone or something. I have grown up to be distrustful of men.
doubtful	Feeling uncertain about something. It is doubtful whether these schemes have any lasting effect.
dubious	Not to be relied upon; suspect. Dubious about agreeing to go.
fishy	Of or relating to or resembling fish. There was something fishy about the accident.
funny	Beyond or deviating from the usual or expected. It s a funny old world.
irregular	(of a verb or other word) having inflections that do not conform to the usual rules. She led a somewhat irregular private life.
jaundiced	Showing or affected by prejudice or envy or distaste. Looked with a jaundiced eye on the growth of regimentation.
leery	Cautious or wary due to realistic suspicions. A city leery of gang violence.
mistrustful	Openly distrustful and unwilling to confide. He wondered if he had been unduly mistrustful of her.
murky	(of liquids) clouded as with sediment. A government minister with a murky past.
mysterious	(of a location) having an atmosphere of strangeness or secrecy. A mysterious benefactor provided the money.
odd	Beyond or deviating from the usual or expected. It is odd that his name is never mentioned.
questionable	Likely to be dishonourable or morally suspect. His questionable financial deals.
sceptical	Relating to the theory that certain knowledge is impossible. The public were deeply sceptical about some of the proposals.
shady	Quiet, dark, or concealed. He was involved in his grandmother s shady deals.
slippery	Causing or tending to cause things to slip or slide. How extraordinarily slippery a liar the camera is.
strange	Unusual or surprising; difficult to understand or explain. Children have some strange ideas.
suspect	Not as expected. Her motives were suspect.
under suspicion	Located below or beneath something else.
unsavoury	Morally offensive. An unsavoury reputation.
unsure	Lacking self-confidence. Unsure of himself and his future.
untrusting	Not tending to believe in other people’s honesty or sincerity; suspicious. Kate became wary furtive and untrusting.
wary	Feeling or showing caution about possible dangers or problems. They were wary in their movements.

Usage Examples of "Suspicious" as an adjective

• She gave him a suspicious look.
• Police were called when staff became suspicious.
• He was suspicious of her motives.
• They are not treating the fire as suspicious.
• Suspicious behavior.

Associations of "Suspicious" (30 Words)

ambiguously	In an ambiguous manner. A peculiar ambiguously remembered landscape where past and present seem repeatedly confounded.
cynical	Believing the worst of human nature and motives; having a sneering disbelief in e.g. selflessness of others. A cynical manipulation of public opinion.
disbelief	Doubt about the truth of something. Laura shook her head in disbelief.
distrust	Regard as untrustworthy; regard with suspicion; have no faith or confidence in. The public s distrust of politicians.
doubt	Consider unlikely or have doubts about. I have no reason to doubt him.
doubtful	Unsettled in mind or opinion. Of doubtful legality.
dubiety	The state of being unsure of something. His enemies made much of the dubiety of his paternity.
dubious	Fraught with uncertainty or doubt. Extremely dubious assumptions.
incredulity	Doubt about the truth of something. He stared down the street in incredulity.
incredulous	Not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving. An incredulous gasp.
leery	Cautious or wary due to realistic suspicions. A city leery of gang violence.
misgiving	Doubt about someone’s honesty. I felt a sense of misgiving at the prospect of retirement.
mistrust	The trait of not trusting others. The public mistrust of government.
pessimist	A person who believes that this world is as bad as it could be or that evil will ultimately prevail over good. He finds solace in the writings of pessimist philosophers.
qualm	A momentary faint or sick feeling. Military regimes generally have no qualms about controlling the press.
question	Pose a question. There s no question that the company s true financial situation is different.
questionable	Able to be refuted. A fire of questionable origin.
questioning	The raising of a doubt about or objection to something. This situation should prompt questioning.
sceptical	Marked by or given to doubt. The public were deeply sceptical about some of the proposals.
shady	Filled with shade. A shady deal.
skeptic	Someone who habitually doubts accepted beliefs.
skeptical	Marked by or given to doubt. A skeptical attitude.
skepticism	The disbelief in any claims of ultimate knowledge.
suspect	Believe or feel that (someone) is guilty of an illegal, dishonest, or unpleasant act, without certain proof. A suspect package was found on the platform.
suspiciously	With a cautious distrust or suspicion of someone or something. Women have been eyed suspiciously by the Party.
unbelief	A rejection of belief. The darkness of unbelief.
uncertain	Not able to be relied on; not known or definite. An uncertain recollection of events.
uncertainty	The state of being uncertain. The uncertainty of the outcome.
vaguely	In a way that is uncertain, indefinite or unclear; roughly. He vaguely remembered talking to her once.
waffle	Pancake batter baked in a waffle iron. We ve edited out some of the waffle.