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dis·trust·ful | \ (ˌ)dis-ˈtrəs(t)-fəl 
\
\Definition of distrustful
: having or showing distrust
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Other Words from distrustful
distrustfully \ (ˌ)dis-ˈtrəs(t)-fə-lē \ adverb
\ adverbdistrustfulness noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for distrustful
Synonyms
- disbelieving,
- doubting,
- incredulous,
- mistrustful,
- negativistic,
- questioning,
- show-me,
- skeptical,
- suspecting,
- suspicious,
- unbelieving
Antonyms
- credulous,
- gullible
- (also gullable),
- trustful,
- trusting,
- uncritical,
- unquestioning
Examples of distrustful in a Sentence
she was distrustful of her boyfriend's claim of having saved the kitten from a raging fire
naturally distrustful of politicians who claim to have all the answers
Recent Examples on the Web But since the end of the Senate impeachment trial, the president has become more distrustful of the people filling the ranks of government and has been giving those recommendations a closer look.
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Maggie Haberman, New York Times, "Among Those Pressing Trump to Weed Out Disloyalty: Clarence Thomas’s Wife," 24 Feb. 2020 The unionized workforce, which is still negotiating a new contract with TriMet, remains distrustful about the true scope of the virus’ effects on coworkers.
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oregonlive, "TriMet bus drivers worry about bringing COVID-19 home to vulnerable loved ones," 18 Apr. 2020 Part of that challenge lies in conveying emotion and Spock's essential human side, when the character is famous for being logical, precise, and distrustful of emotion.
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Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Actor Ethan Peck talks taking on iconic role of Spock for Star Trek: Discovery S2," 11 Apr. 2020 At the press conference Monday, Director of Health Dr. Constance Chan urged residents living in the same block as the detainees to not panic—but Hong Kong citizens, like most others, are fearful of quarantine zones and distrustful of the government.
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Eamon Barrett, Fortune, "Patient or prisoner? Governments deploy surveillance tech to track coronavirus victims," 5 Feb. 2020 Some fled authoritarian regimes from their home countries and are inherently distrustful of authority.
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Kristine Phillips, USA TODAY, "'They look at me and think I'm some kind of virus': What it's like to be Asian during the coronavirus pandemic," 28 Mar. 2020 Well distrustful negotiators look for ways to advance their own priorities in must-pass legislation or prevent the other side from doing the same.
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NBC News, "Sticking points in aid bill talks: paid sick leave and abortion," 12 Mar. 2020 Their warnings that a society of distrustful, atomized individuals would lead either to political radicalism or to dangerous nihilism has proven entirely correct.
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Tanner Greer, National Review, "Learning the Wrong Lessons from Reform Conservatism," 17 Mar. 2020 In front of a police bus parked there twenty-four hours a day, a few riot squad officers standing around casting distrustful glances at passers-by.
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Patrick Strickland, The New York Review of Books, "After the EU Turned Greece into a Refugee Warehouse, a Backlash," 4 Mar. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'distrustful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for distrustful
The first known use of distrustful was in 1589
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