distrustful

American  

[dis-truhst-fuhl] / dɪsˈtrʌst fəl /

adjective

1. unable or unwilling to trust; doubtful; suspicious.

   An alert scientist is distrustful of coincidences.

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Other Word Forms

• distrustfully adverb
• distrustfulness noun
• predistrustful adjective
• undistrustful adjective
• undistrustfully adverb
• undistrustfulness noun

Etymology

Origin of distrustful

First recorded in 1585–95; distrust + -ful

Example Sentences

Psychologist Jean Twenge’s generational studies show that we are now more detached from communal life and more distrustful of each other.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ms. McGarr, who teaches at University of Wisconsin-Madison, is often acerbic about her subjects but notes that they were “awash in patriotic fervor at the same time that they were distrustful and cynical.”

From The Wall Street Journal

She also noted a lack of public health outreach to communities that have been hesitant or distrustful of vaccines.

From BBC

Patients leave angrier, more rigid and more distrustful of their neighbors.

From The Wall Street Journal

The demand for ethically produced eggs continues to grow as consumers become more distrustful of conventional egg supplies, especially following the spread of avian flu in recent years.

From Barron's

Related Words

• cautious
• doubtful
• dubious
• fearful
• jealous
• leery
• mistrustful
• skeptical
• suspicious
• uneasy
• wary