epäilyttävä

Epäilyttävä is a Finnish adjective meaning something that arouses doubt or suspicion. It describes persons, actions, situations or things that seem questionable, untrustworthy, or difficult to explain. In everyday language, it is used to indicate that something invites careful examination or caution. Examples include epäilyttävä käytös (suspicious behavior), epäilyttävä rahansiirto (suspicious financial transfer) or epäilyttävän näköinen kirje (a suspicious-looking letter).

Etymology and form: The word is formed from the root epäily, meaning suspicion or doubt, with the prefix epä- meaning not or lacking, and the participial suffix -ttävä, which creates an adjective indicating something that causes or is characterized by the quality. Thus epäilyttävä literally translates as “causing doubt” or “suspicion-arousing.” The adjective can combine with nouns to form common phrases, and it can be modified to express degree (epäilyttäväksi) in some constructions with verbs of becoming or appearing.

Usage notes: Epäilyttävä is a relatively neutral descriptor, but its connotations can range from prudent caution to moral judgement depending on context. In journalism and formal writing, it may introduce the need for verification or evidence. It is closely related to kyseenalainen (questionable) and epäluotettava (unreliable), while antonyms include luotettava (reliable) or uskottava (credible).

See also: epäily, epäillä, kyseenalainen, epäluotettava.

Overall, epäilyttävä serves as a concise way to flag elements that warrant scrutiny due to perceived ambiguity or potential risk.