UNTRUSTWORTHY Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

untrustworthy

adjective

Definition of untrustworthy

as in fraudulent

not able to be trusted; not trustworthy an untrustworthy person He has proven himself untrustworthy.

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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 untrustworthy The local gendarmerie, led by blandly untrustworthy Inspector Marchal (Bertrand Belin) is called in to investigate. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 16 June 2026 There is evidence that this tendency, known as the endowment effect, was favored by natural selection when bargains were risky in a pre-modern world, a time when giving over one item, in trade for another, might risk getting nothing at all from an untrustworthy trading partner. — Owen D. Jones, The Conversation, 26 May 2026 By and large, consumers are more skeptical of brands’ sustainability messaging; some 60 percent now avoid products from untrustworthy or unethical sources, per the report. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 14 May 2026 In classical Athens the playwright Aristophanes attacked purveyors of knowledge for being intellectually untrustworthy, essentially deceitful. — Clare Bucknell, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for untrustworthy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for untrustworthy

Adjective

According to a criminal complaint, Young used shell corporations and fraudulent billing practices to misappropriate funds intended for homeless housing, including through programs administered by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

— Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
The operation began around 2018, when Noreus agreed to provide fraudulent credentials to nursing students recruited through Medlife Institute, another school implicated in the federal investigation, according to prosecutors.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of fraudulent

Adjective

Central figure Prosecutors Clark and Juenger portrayed Noreus as a central figure in the diploma-mill operation rather than simply a school administrator who became entangled with dishonest recruiters and students.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026
Davis said that witnesses were dishonest about his character throughout the trial, including FBI agents and police officers who testified for the prosecution.

— Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of dishonest

Adjective

That’s why Meta has agreed to pay up to eighteen billion dollars as part of a settlement over predatory and deceptive practices, and why Anthropic is paying writers and publishers (admittedly, pennies) in a copyright settlement.

— Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Some states have enacted laws requiring disclosures or restricting deceptive political deepfakes near elections.

— Reed Williams, AJC.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of deceptive

Adjective

In the wake of the 2020 election, false accusations led to death threats and upended the lives of two Fulton County election workers.

— Caleb Groves, AJC.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Election law generally requires registration in every state except North Dakota, while federal law prohibits false registration and other forms of election fraud.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of false

Adjective

The final answer may cite real sources and still be misleading.

— Patrick Dajos, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Providing false or misleading information to law enforcement undermines those efforts and unnecessarily diverts officers and resources away from members of our community who may need immediate police assistance.

— Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of misleading

Adjective

Who wouldn’t like to whip out a formula that enabled you to judge this action as evil and the other as merely wrong?

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
The helicopter, which was used by NBC and Telemundo, crashed about two hours after police say Rios drove her 2004 Ford Expedition the wrong way down a busy avenue, ran a red light and struck a vehicle before hitting the bus.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of wrong

Adjective

The agency produced excellent work against an incorrect brief, and nobody in the room knew the business well enough to say so.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Oxford and Ole Miss rolled out the unwelcome mat early in the week, starting Wednesday with a Lane Kiffen (incorrect spelling intentional) Roast at the Lyric Theater.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of incorrect

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“Untrustworthy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untrustworthy. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of untrustworthy

adjective

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