mistrustful

adjective

Definition of mistrustfulnext
1
as in skeptical
inclined to doubt or question claims we were mistrustful of the so-called "miracle cure" for obesity

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unsure
not feeling sure about the truth, wisdom, or trustworthiness of someone or something inhabitants of that remote community tend to be mistrustful of outsiders

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mistrustful The Social Democrats, led by Kurt Schumacher, a prickly figure who had suffered horribly for resisting the Nazis, were mistrustful of the United States and hoped to reunify Germany as a neutral state at the center of Europe. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 Once a lawyerly panel, a takeover by a trio of conservatives deeply mistrustful of the state’s voting system has turned the board’s once mundane meetings into boisterous events packed with crowds of cheering and jeering activists. — Tamar Hallerman, AJC.com, 3 Aug. 2026 The idea is to strategically moderate on certain cultural issues in order to become more palatable to mistrustful constituencies. — Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 19 July 2026 People are mistrustful of government at all levels right now, according to Larson. — R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026 Initially mistrustful of each other, the two men bond over Molina's stories about movie star Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez) and her starring role in the eponymous film-within-a-film. — Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistrustful
  1. skeptical
  2. unsure
  3. suspicious
  4. uncertain
  5. cautious
  6. distrustful
  7. careful
Adjective
  • Lots of teams will forfeit games because of an ineligible player (barring athletic directors being skeptical of every transfer).
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • He's been skeptical of the war, but he's came out recently and said that the war should end.
    — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of skeptical
Adjective
  • The titular gang comprises Mac (McElhenney), a closeted wannabe tough guy; the narcissistic prepster Dennis (Glenn Howerton); Dennis’s chronically unsure fraternal twin, Dee (Kaitlin Olson); and the bar’s buffoonish janitor, Charlie (Charlie Day).
    — Paula Mejía, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Still, stakeholders are unsure what effects a veto override will have.
    — Laura Horne, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of unsure
Adjective
  • The person asked for gas money and Bitcoin, requests the family found suspicious because Goods doesn't drive and didn't have a car in Las Vegas.
    — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The suspicious em dash—and the easily disprovable notion that only AI used them—was offered as a telltale sign.
    — M. C. Mah, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of suspicious
Adjective
  • Why people are uncertain about vaccines Vaccine hesitancy is much more complicated than outright opposition to vaccines, Steier said.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Traditional business moats are eroding, exemplified by Chegg's collapse, as the market prices certainty into an inherently uncertain technology, causing unprecedented volatility and layoffs.
    — Jemma Green, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of uncertain
Adjective
  • Officials were urging residents to be cautious as the hurricane approached.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Despite expert consensus ranking him QB2 (31st overall), there's reason to be cautious.
    — Steve Bradshaw, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of cautious
Adjective
  • This move was unfavored by local violence prevention activists who said that the relationship with law enforcement could undermine their efforts to reach at-risk teens who are distrustful of police.
    — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The 72-year-old’s popularity boomed during the pandemic, when his insistence that COVID vaccines were dangerous and his opposition to lockdown restrictions attracted many Americans distrustful of government policy.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
Definition of distrustful
Adjective
  • Without careful planning to reduce the constellations’ brightness, the team found that, in the most extreme case, the satellites could outnumber visible stars by a factor of 100.
    — Arielle Frommer, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Maneuvering in tight spaces requires careful judgment of each individual case — and not just about which body part is least likely to cause offense when brought into close proximity to a fellow diner.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of careful

Browse Nearby Words

mistrusted
mistrustful
mistrustfully
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mistrustful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistrustful. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on mistrustful

Nglish: Translation of mistrustful for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of august

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All