encouraged suspicious

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "encouraged suspicious" is not correct and does not convey a clear meaning in written English.
It seems to be an incomplete or incorrect combination of words that lacks proper context or grammatical structure. Example: "The behavior of the new employee encouraged suspicious thoughts among the team."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

As a result, the disclosure that Philip Morris, the nation's largest cigarette maker, wanted to start talks about tobacco regulation left government officials, anti-smoking activists and analysts alternately encouraged, suspicious or just perplexed about the company's intentions.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Like the Woodward trial, the Ortega case has incited a certain degree of panic, with one New York screening agency reportedly going so far as to encourage suspicious parents to ransack nannys' purses to check for psychiatric medication.

Vice

A few days ago, Cohen had encouraged the suspicious Republican foreign policy establishment to rally around the president-elect.

The Guardian

False alarms have occurred around the country, an inevitability when the public is encouraged to report suspicious activities.

The New York Times

Local police officers are encouraged to file "suspicious activity reports" with the F.B.I. or the Homeland Security Department, which finances about 70 intergovernmental intelligence cooperatives nationwide.

The New York Times

He said the disturbances could have been encouraged by "the suspicious hands of the dissolved ruling party and related individuals who contributed by spreading baseless rumours".

The Guardian

Users of dating sites are typically encouraged to report suspicious behaviour and some sites employ sophisticated software designed to flag bogus profiles.Online matchmakers also claim their record of producing successful unions is better than critics give them credit for.

The Economist

Who initiated a project called Operation TIPS (Terrorist Information and Prevention System) to recruit and train a million volunteers (including postal workers, utility personnel and the like) in 10 cities who would be encouraged to report suspicious terrorist activity?

Huffington Post

For example, in the UK there is a code of conduct in place for aircraft spotters introduced by aviation enthusiasts' club LAAS International, under which aircraft spotters are encouraged to report suspicious behavior.

WikiHow

Ward said that the D.E.P. permit-holders, whether hikers, hunters or anglers, can help the agency to "respond to threats to the water supply," and he encouraged people to report "suspicious activity near reservoirs and city-owned watershed lands".

The New York Times - Sports

Earlier age of MPNST diagnosis is likely favored by prompt referral to a sarcoma center, and should therefore be encouraged in patients with suspicious tumors.

BMC Cancer

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing encouragement related to suspicion, clarify whether you mean to encourage reporting of suspicious activity or if the encouragement itself is causing suspicion.

Common error

Avoid using "encouraged suspicious" without clearly indicating what is being encouraged. Instead of "the policy encouraged suspicious behavior", specify "the policy encouraged reporting suspicious behavior" to prevent ambiguity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "encouraged suspicious" functions as a verb followed by an adjective, but it does not form a standard or grammatically sound construction. It needs further context to be meaningful. As Ludwig AI notes, it is not a correct phrase.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

55%

Formal & Business

20%

Science

15%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Reference

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "encouraged suspicious" is an uncommon and grammatically questionable construction. Ludwig AI indicates that it is not a correct phrase. While the intent is often to describe urging action related to suspected activity or promoting a state of doubt, direct usage requires careful contextualization to avoid ambiguity. Clearer alternatives like "encouraged reporting suspicious activity" or "fostered distrust" should be considered. The phrase appears most frequently in News & Media and Formal & Business contexts, suggesting a neutral to professional register. It's important to clarify what is being encouraged to prevent misinterpretation.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

incited suspicion

Here, 'encouraged' is swapped for 'incited', suggesting a more active instigation of suspicion.

created wariness

'Created wariness' suggests a generation of caution and suspicion, differing slightly from direct encouragement.

fostered distrust

This alternative replaces 'encouraged' with 'fostered' and 'suspicious' with 'distrust', emphasizing the development of a lack of trust.

promoted skepticism

This option replaces 'suspicious' with 'skepticism', highlighting a more intellectual form of doubt.

invited doubts

This alternative focuses on the aspect of something prompting doubts, rather than actively encouraging suspicion.

provoked misgivings

Using 'provoked' emphasizes the act of causing misgivings, which are feelings of doubt or apprehension.

bred mistrust

This phrase uses 'bred' instead of 'encouraged' to imply a gradual development of mistrust rather than direct encouragement of suspicion.

gave rise to doubts

This phrase highlights that something has caused or led to doubts.

stirred unease

This alternative replaces 'suspicious' with 'unease', focusing on the feeling of discomfort created.

raised eyebrows

This is an idiomatic expression signifying that something caused surprise or suspicion.

FAQs

How can I use the word "suspicious" correctly in a sentence?

Use "suspicious" to describe something that causes doubt or mistrust. For example, "The witness's inconsistent testimony made the jury "suspicious of" his claims".

What's a better way to phrase the idea of promoting doubt or mistrust?

Instead of "encouraged suspicious", consider using phrases like "incited suspicion", "fostered distrust", or "raised doubts".

Is it correct to say that someone "encouraged suspicious" behavior?

It's grammatically unconventional. A clearer phrasing would be "encouraged people to be "suspicious of" others" or "encouraged the reporting of suspicious activity".

What is the difference between "encouraged suspicion" and "aroused suspicion"?

"Encouraged suspicion" suggests actively promoting a state of doubt, while "aroused suspicion" implies causing suspicion as a consequence of something.