trusting

American  

[truhs-ting] / ˈtrʌs tɪŋ /

adjective

1. inclined to trust; confiding; trustful.

   a trusting child.

   Synonyms:

   unwary, naive, innocent, unsuspicious

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Other Word Forms

• nontrusting adjective
• self-trusting adjective
• trustingly adverb
• trustingness noun
• untrusting adjective

Etymology

Origin of trusting

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; trust + -ing ²

Explanation

If you're trusting, you tend to believe what people tell you. A trusting friend will tell you her deepest secrets and trust that you'll keep them to yourself. Use the adjective trusting to describe people who always see the best in others. A trusting child believes everything you tell him and follows where you lead. A trusting dog will follow your commands and stick by your side. The verb trust means "to believe or have faith," and both words come from the Old Norse traust, "help or confidence," and are closely related to the Old English treowe, "have faith or confidence."

Example Sentences

A Harvard-educated attorney and Vanderbilt heiress, Burden, 56, writes candidly about how she ceded control of her finances to her ex during their 20-year marriage, trusting him to act in her best interests.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Americans expect A.I. to cause job losses and have been slower to adopt it than their peers in most other countries, while also not trusting their own government to regulate it.

From Slate • Apr. 14, 2026

“Something I’m always talking about is trusting the way that you feel,” Flea says as we finish up.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

"I am overly trusting, I tend to think the best of people," she said.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

‘I isn’t ever trusting them,’ the BFG said.

From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl