distrustful

[dis-truhst-fuhl]

adjective

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

   An alert scientist is distrustful of coincidences.

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of distrustful¹

First recorded in 1585–95; distrust + -ful

Example Sentences

Several students said their affiliation drew hate speech from strangers and distrustful questions from family members and employers.

From Los Angeles Times

People get very distrustful of things that look just silly and manipulative.

From Salon

More broadly, voters remain profoundly distrustful of elite institutions, and progressives have dominated most of those institutions for decades.

From Los Angeles Times

"It’s extremely important from a health communications perspective to treat well-founded fears from a place of respect and empathy; that’s the only way marginalized communities — that are rightfully distrustful of the authorities — can be reached."

From Salon

This view has no historical support: The framers of the Constitution were deeply distrustful of executive authority.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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