suspicious

Everyday

1. Making you think something is wrong, dangerous or dishonest: "a suspicious package". tree →
2. Not trusting someone or something: "The cat was suspicious of the new dog." tree →

In the lessons

In safety lessons, pupils learn to tell an adult about suspicious people, messages or packages, and not to touch them. In online safety, a suspicious email or link may be a scam. In detective stories, the detective notices suspicious behaviour. Phrases: suspicious of, look suspicious, suspicious package, suspicious behaviour.

Examples

• Tell a teacher if you see a suspicious bag. tree →
• That email looks suspicious; do not click the link. tree →
• The detective found a suspicious footprint. tree →
• The cat was suspicious of the vacuum cleaner. tree →
• Mum got suspicious when the biscuit jar was empty. tree →
• A man was acting suspiciously near the cars. tree →
• “Father first,” said Michael, who was of a suspicious nature. tree →

Note

The adverb is "suspiciously"; the noun is "suspicion"; the verb is "suspect". Spelling: "suspicious" ends in "-cious". Safety: do not go near something suspicious; tell an adult or the police. Being suspicious of a person just because of how they look is unfair.