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

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

Much of the Catholic hierarchy in Rome remained distrustful of American political norms.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 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

The Saudis are also building close relations with Qatar -- which remains distrustful of the UAE since the blockade -- recently signing off on a high-speed rail link.

From Barron's • Jan. 25, 2026

But Martin Adams, distrustful of reporters, kept a low profile in the aftermath of the tragedy and eluded my repeated attempts to interview him until after the Outside piece went to press.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Related Words

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