suspicious
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suspicious
Having a feeling of doubt or mistrust toward a person or thing. You do not believe that someone or something is honest or safe.
Der alte Hund war Fremden gegenüber immer sehr misstrauisch.
The old dog was always very suspicious of strangers.
The word contains the prefix 'miss-', which often indicates something negative or wrong. Here it is combined with the stem of the verb 'trauen' (to trust), so 'misstrauisch' (suspicious) literally means not trusting someone or something.
Sei nicht so misstrauisch, er will dir nur helfen.
Don't be so suspicious; he only wants to help you.
If you want to express whom or what someone is suspicious of, you use the preposition 'gegenüber' with the dative. The position of 'gegenüber' can be before or after the noun.
Sie ist neuen Ideen gegenüber immer etwas misstrauisch.
She is always somewhat suspicious of new ideas.
'Misstrauisch' (suspicious) is often used to describe an action or an expression. Typical combinations are 'jemanden misstrauisch ansehen' (to look at someone suspiciously), 'ein misstrauischer Blick' (a suspicious look), or 'eine misstrauische Frage stellen' (to ask a suspicious question).
Die Katze beobachtete den Hund mit einem misstrauischen Blick.
The cat watched the dog with a suspicious look.
skeptical
Both words show that you do not simply believe a statement or person. Skeptisch is directed more toward the claim and involves checking whether it is true. Misstrauisch describes a stronger personal lack of trust and the suspicion that someone may be unreliable or dishonest.
Seit dem Vorfall bin ich ihm gegenüber misstrauisch.
I’ve been suspicious of him ever since the incident.
Ich bin skeptisch, ob sein Versprechen wirklich erfüllt wird.
I’m skeptical that he will really keep his promise.
