Mencurigai

Mencurigai is an Indonesian verb meaning to suspect someone of a wrongdoing or to feel suspicious about someone or something. It expresses doubt about truth, honesty, or motives and is used in a range of contexts from personal relationships to news reporting. The term denotes a belief that there may be hidden or unfavorable intentions behind actions or statements.

The verb is transitive and typically takes a direct object representing the person or thing being suspected. For example, in a simple sentence you might say, “Dia mencurigai temannya.” It can also be followed by a clause introduced by bahwa to indicate the suspected fact, as in “Dia mencurigai bahwa ada kebohongan.” In nuance, mencurigai is stronger or more deliberate than curiga, which often describes a general feeling of doubt rather than an action of suspecting someone specifically.

Nuance and usage: mencurigai often appears in contexts where suspicion leads to verification, inquiry, or caution. It carries a negative or cautious tone and is common in conversations about trust, security, or integrity. Related terms include mencurigakan (adjective meaning 'suspicious'), kecurigaan (noun meaning 'suspicion'), and curiga (the more general verb or adjective for suspicion). Antonyms include percaya or yakin, which express trust or confidence rather than doubt.

Etymology: the word is formed from the root curiga with the affixes meN- and -i, producing a transitive verb that denotes actively suspecting someone or something. The form and usage align with standard Indonesian verb morphology for active, transitive verbs.