distrustful
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of distrustful
Explanation
If you're suspicious, or uncertain whether you should believe something (or someone), you're distrustful. If your dog is distrustful of clowns, she may growl every time she sees anyone wearing a big, red, rubber nose. Whenever you experience a lack of trust, you're distrustful. The word adds the prefix dis-, "not," to trustful, or "full of trust." If your cousin frequently tells tale tales, you will probably be distrustful when he claims that he recently met a famous movie star. And if that old wooden roller coaster at the amusement park looks rickety, you might be distrustful of its safety go ride the merry-go-round instead.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Everybody has felt heartbreak or confusion or duped or confused or distrustful of their own intuition and all of that stuff.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
Much of the Catholic hierarchy in Rome remained distrustful of American political norms.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026
The people angered by and distrustful of Discord’s invasive verification methods are right to be.
From Slate • Feb. 11, 2026
My distrustful and selfish brother was named as the executor of my late parents’ estate.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 30, 2026
I know the Courters were angry and distrustful of me for much longer than they let me know, but they did not punish me for what I had done.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
