suspicion
Use Suspicion in a sentence
ən noun
1.
act of suspecting.
2.
the state of mind or feeling of one who suspects: Suspicion kept him awake all night long.
3.
an instance of suspecting something or someone.
4.
state of being suspected: under suspicion; above suspicion.
5.
imagination of anything to be the case or to be likely; a vague notion of something.
verb (used with object)
7.
Nonstandard. to suspect.
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Suspicion
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is lollygag. Does it mean:
| chat, to converse |
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English < Latin suspīciōn- (stem of suspīciō), equivalent to suspīc- (variant stem of suspicere to look from below, suspect) + -iōn- -ion
1250–1300; Middle English < Latin suspīciōn- (stem of suspīciō), equivalent to suspīc- (variant stem of suspicere to look from below, suspect) + -iōn- -ion
Related forms
pre·sus·pi·cion, noun
self-sus·pi·cion, noun
su·per·sus·pi·cion, noun
Synonyms
2. doubt, mistrust, misgiving. Suspicion, distrust are terms for a feeling that appearances are not reliable. Suspicion is the positive tendency to doubt the trustworthiness of appearances and therefore to believe that one has detected possibilities of something unreliable, unfavorable, menacing, or the like: to feel suspicion about the honesty of a prominent man. Distrust may be a passive want of trust, faith, or reliance in a person or thing: to feel distrust of one's own ability.
2. doubt, mistrust, misgiving. Suspicion, distrust are terms for a feeling that appearances are not reliable. Suspicion is the positive tendency to doubt the trustworthiness of appearances and therefore to believe that one has detected possibilities of something unreliable, unfavorable, menacing, or the like: to feel suspicion about the honesty of a prominent man. Distrust may be a passive want of trust, faith, or reliance in a person or thing: to feel distrust of one's own ability.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To suspicion
Collins
World English Dictionary
suspicion (səˈspɪʃən) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | the act or an instance of suspecting; belief without sure proof, esp that something is wrong |
| 2. | the feeling of mistrust of a person who suspects |
| 3. | the state of being suspected: to be shielded from suspicion |
| 4. | a slight trace |
| 5. | above suspicion in such a position that no guilt may be thought or implied, esp through having an unblemished reputation |
| 6. | on suspicion as a suspect |
| 7. | under suspicion regarded with distrust |
| [C14: from Old French sospeçon, from Latin suspīciō distrust, from suspicere to mistrust; see | |
| sus'picional | |
| —adj | |
| sus'picionless | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
suspicion
late 13c., from Anglo-Fr. suspecioun, from O.Fr. suspeçun, sospeçon "mistrust, suspicion" (Fr. soupçon), from L. suspectionem (nom. suspectio) "mistrust, suspicion, fear, awe," from pp. stem of suspicere "look up at" (see suspect). Spelling in English
influenced 14c. by learned O.Fr. forms closer to Latin suspicionem.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
But if you haven't, there are bad vibes and suspicion all round.
Others spoke cryptically to avoid arousing the suspicion of listening ears.
Many of their provisions, devised in an era of cold-war suspicion, have never even been used.
To deviate from this route-to paddle a kayak down a river-arouses suspicion.
Idioms & Phrases
Nearby Words
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