verdächtiges

Verdächtiges is a German term tied to suspicion. It can function as an adjective or as a nominalized form used as a noun. As an adjective, verdächtig means suspicious or questionable and is used to describe people, actions, or objects, for example verdächtiges Verhalten (suspicious behavior) or ein verdächtiger Gegenstand (a suspicious object). The adjective adjusts its ending according to gender, number, and case.

As a noun, the term occurs in two common forms. The neuter noun das Verdächtige refers to the thing, matter, or circumstance that appears suspicious, and is often used in the phrase etwas Verdächtiges (something suspicious). For people, the standard noun forms are der Verdächtige (masculine singular, the suspect), die Verdächtige (feminine singular, the suspect), and die Verdächtigen (plural, the suspects). In criminal justice and journalism, Verdächtige is the typical word for individuals suspected of a crime, while Verdächtigungen refers to suspicions or allegations.

In practice, verdächtiges and related forms frequently appear in police reports, court documents, and news reports when describing ambiguous or potentially incriminating evidence. The term sits alongside related words such as Verdacht (suspicion), verdächtig (adjective form), and Verdächtiger/ Verdächtige (suspect).

Overall, verdächtiges and its related forms cover both the descriptive sense of something suspicious and the substantive sense of people or things regarded as suspects or evidence in a legal or investigative context. The distinction between referring to an object or a person hinges on capitalization and the chosen grammatical form.