a. Forms: α. 4–6 suspecious, (5 -ieuse, 5–6 -yous, 6 -ius), 5 susspecious. β. 4– suspicious, (5 -icyows, -ycyowse, 6 -ycyous, iciouse, -yciouse, 7 -ycious); 6–7 suspitious, (6 -ius). [a. AF., OF. suspecious, suspicious, -eus, ad. L. suspīciōsus, f. suspīcio SUSPICION: see -OUS.
For the change of spelling cf. SUSPICION sb.]
1. Open to, deserving of, or exciting suspicion; that is or should be an object of suspicion; suspected, or to be suspected; of questionable character.
1340. Ayenb., 226. Þe uerste [þing] is him-zelue kepe and priueliche bi ine his house, naȝt uor to uolȝy þe uelaȝredes suspiciouses.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Clerk’s T., 540. Suspecious was the diffame of this man, Suspect his face, suspect his word also.
1435. Rolls of Parlt., IV. 490/1. In crikes, and oyer suspecious places.
1477. Cov. Leet Bk., 421. If eny suspect persone … may be founde within this Cite hauyng suspecious langage.
1502. Arnolde, Chron. (1811), 95. Good and honest persones and trewe and not suspecious.
1526. Tindale, 1 Thess. v. 22. Abstayne from all suspicious thynge.
1594. Nashe, Terrors of Night, G iv b. The abrupt falling into his sicknesse was suspitious, proceeding from no apparant surfet or misdiet.
1634. Peacham, Compl. Gentl., xii. 114. All Hebrew Coynes that Antiquaries shew us are suspicious.
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., I. viii. 34. Authors are also suspicious, nor greedily to be swallowed, who pretend to write of secrets.
1771. Junius Lett., xliv. (1788), 247. This sudden alteration of their sentiments … carries with it a suspicious appearance.
1843. R. J. Graves, Syst. Clin. Med., xii. 130. His respiration was interrupted, suspicious, and irregular.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xxi. IV. 551. Some most suspicious entries had been discovered, under the head of special service.
1889. J. Gairdner, Hen. VII., vii. (1899), 111. This Ludovico had become Duke of Milan himself by the very suspicious death of his nephew.
† b. with dependent clause, inf., or of. Obs.
c. 1400. Rom. Rose, 6110. He wole hym silf suspecious make That he his lyf let couertly … in Ipocrisie.
1527. Star Chamber Cases (Selden Soc.), II. 166. All the Barnes … and other suspecyous places … to have hydde corne.
1592. Greene, Conny Catch., 18. Citizens … that they finde … suspitious of the like fault.
1623. Meade in Ellis, Orig. Lett., Ser. I. III. 149. The news of the Prince … was suspicious not to be good.
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., V. v. 376. ’Tis suspicious … that these things might be done by confederacie.
1765. T. Hutchinson, Hist. Mass., I. v. 436. The wife of Richard Cornish was found suspicious of incontinency.
1788. T. Jefferson, Writ. (1859), II. 552. Symptoms which render it suspicious that the two empires may make their peace with the Turks.
2. Full of, inclined to, or feeling suspicion; disposed to suspect; suspecting; esp. disposed to suspect evil, mistrustful.
c. 1400. Cato’s Morals, in Cursor M., App. iv. 307. Fle to be susspecious, atte þou be noȝt doutous.
c. 1430. Lydg., Min. Poems (Percy Soc.), 162. No man of kynde is moore suspecious, Than he that is moost vicious and coupable.
1592. Kyd, Sp. Trag., III. xiv. 160. The world is suspitious, And men may think what we imagine not.
1647. Clarendon, Hist. Reb., V. § 140. Such Circumstances, as should administer no occasion of Jealousy to the most Suspicious.
1735. Pope, Prol. Sat., 206. A tim’rous foe, and a suspicious friend.
1842. W. Macgillivray, Man. Brit. Ornith., II. 244. This species [of gull] … is vigilant, shy, and suspicious.
1856. Kane, Arctic Expl., II. xv. 164. I had earned character with these people, at first so suspicious and distrustful.
b. with dependent clause, or of.
1474. Caxton, Chesse, IV. vii. (1883), 180. The aduersaries ben suspecyous that the comyn peple lye In a wayte to Robbe her goodes.
1591. Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., IV. i. 153. I see no reason if I weare this Rose, That any one should therefore be suspitious I more incline to Somerset, than Yorke.
1651. Hobbes, Leviath., IV. xlvi. 379. The best men are the least suspicious of fraudulent purposes.
a. 1721. Prior, Dial. Cromwell & Porter, Wks. (1907), 264. You were a Slave to your own Apprehensions, suspicious of every body that came near you.
1783. Johnson, Lett. to Taylor, 24 July. I was suspicious that you were ill.
1834. J. H. Newman, Par. Serm. (1837), I. v. 70. I am suspicious of any religion that is a people’s religion.
1861. Thackeray, Four Georges, iii. 134. Like other dull men, the king [sc. George III.] was all his life suspicious of superior people.
c. transf. Expressing, indicating or characterized by suspicion.
1478. Earl Rivers, Crystyne’s Mor. Prov. (1859), 3. Woman & man to guider muche Rownyng May often cause suspecieuse slandryng.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 63. Whose hertes be full of ypocrisy … and suspycyous iudgementes.
1585. T. Washington, trans. Nicholay’s Voy., IV. xxxv. 158 b. [They] condemned the wise Socrates, for the suspitious opinion they had in him.
1635. Quarles, Embl., V. xii. 22. How often hath Thy Hope-reviving Grace Woo’d my suspitious eyes to seek Thy face!
1745. T. Randall, in Transl. & Paraphr. Sc. Ch., XLIX. vi. Love harbours no suspicious thought.
1797. S. & Ht. Lee, Canterb. T. (1799), I. iv. 358. [His conduct] tinctured the mind of his companion with suspicious and black ideas.
† d. Showing a suspicion or inkling of. Obs.
1655. Marq. Worcester, Cent. Inv., § 75. A … Ribbon weaver may set down a whole discourse … without knowing a letter or interweaving anything suspicious of other secret than a new-fashioned Ribbon.
3. Comb., as (in sense 1) suspicious-looking adj.; (in sense 2) suspicious-mindedness.
1843. Chambers’s Edin. Jrnl., 46/1. A wiry, crop-eared terrier…; one of those suspicious-looking brutes whom an honest man would shrink from claiming.
1869. Tozer, Highl. Turkey, I. 101. A suspicious-looking mess of fish and vegetables.
1888. Doughty, Arabia Deserta, I. 603. The suspicious-mindedness of the Arabians.
