distrustful
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
Hastily arranged burials of Ebola victims have been met with suspicion in a region already distrustful of the state.
From Barron's • May 25, 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
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 • Nov. 28, 2025
Harrison and I found it difficult to look at each other; we were upset and distrustful.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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.
