What does trusting mean?
Trusting describes a person, attitude, or relationship marked by readiness to believe the good intentions and reliability of others. In its common adjectival use, it contrasts with suspicion, cynicism, or guardedness and can be neutral or affectionate: a trusting friendship may involve openness and patience. It can also carry a mild warning, especially when someone is described as too trusting, because an uncritical willingness to believe may expose that person to deception or manipulation. As a present participle of trust, the word can instead describe the act of placing confidence in someone, as when a parent says she is trusting a teenager with a difficult decision. The nuance depends less on the basic idea of confidence than on whether the speaker regards it as sensible, naive, or courageous. Trusting is therefore useful when discussing not only belief in other people but also the interpersonal rewards and social risks of openness.
Having or showing a willingness to believe in the sincerity, honesty, or reliability of others.
"He was trusting enough to show the stranger where the spare key was kept."
The adjective can be approving, describing openness and confidence, or mildly critical, suggesting undue credulity.
Placing trust or confidence in someone or something; entrusting.
"The board is trusting the new director with responsibility for the entire department."
Being trusting is not the same as being trusted: one is the active choice to believe, while the other is a reputation earned.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does trusting come from?
The adjective trusting is formed from trust plus the present-participle suffix -ing, a productive English pattern that became established during the Middle English period. Its base verb comes from Old English trēowian, meaning “to have confidence in,” and is cognate with forms in several Germanic languages, including Old Norse treysta and German treuen. Over time, the participle acquired the broader adjectival sense of being inclined to place confidence in others.
Related word forms
How trusting is actually used
Trusting is often neutral or approving when it describes openness, affection, or confidence in people, but it can be mildly critical when it suggests excessive credulity or an absence of caution.
Easily confused with trusting
A trusted person or thing is regarded as reliable, whereas a trusting person is inclined to place confidence in others.