mistrustful

[mis-truhst-fuhl]

adjective

1. full of mistrust; suspicious.

Other Word Forms

• mistrustfully adverb
• mistrustfulness noun
• unmistrustful adjective
• unmistrustfully adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of mistrustful¹

First recorded in 1520–30; mistrust + -ful

Example Sentences

“There’s a Calvinist streak in the American spirit and nature that is so deeply mistrustful of pleasure. And right now, it’s coterminous with fascism, where there shouldn’t be any pleasure for its own sake.”

From Los Angeles Times

In 1976, as he accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for the presidency, America was coming out of a contentious and mistrustful era of Watergate and the Vietnam War.

From Los Angeles Times

Moreover, Niger's regime, whose attitude towards the EU as a whole has become almost as mistrustful as its broken relationship with France, continues to seek alternatives to its old Western partnerships.

From BBC

Observers say that continued outreach has allowed the department to make significant strides in some communities that were long mistrustful of law enforcement.

From Los Angeles Times

Gascón, she said, has made inroads with communities mistrustful of the county’s prosecutors, but warned his courtroom shortcomings could overshadow those gains.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• leery 
• skeptical 
• suspicious 
• wary