What does untrusting mean?
Untrusting means unwilling to place confidence in other people or in the reliability of particular actions, institutions, or information. It often suggests a prudent response to betrayal, inconsistency, or risk, though it can also imply excessive suspicion. A person may be described as naturally untrusting, while an organization may become untrusting of unfamiliar suppliers or online services. The word can function before a noun, as in an untrusting attitude, or after one, as in being untrusting of strangers. Although closely related to distrustful and mistrustful, untrusting can also convey a deliberate refusal to rely on something that seems unsafe or unreliable. It is the opposite of trusting, but is generally more measured than credulous, which implies an excessive willingness to believe. The term is used in both British and American English and is especially useful when emphasizing caution born from doubt or past experience.
adjectiveNot trusting someone or something; unwilling to place confidence in its motives, intentions, or reliability.
- Having doubt about or refusing to trust people, organizations, or circumstances.
"Years of disappointment had left him deeply untrusting of strangers."
"The untrusting child watched cautiously from behind her mother."
"Banks remain untrusting of unfamiliar online payment providers."
Untrusting carries its own warning label: it is trust with a negation attached.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does untrusting come from?
Untrusting is an English formation built from the prefix un-, the word trust, and the participial ending -ing. Its literal sense is “not trusting,” and in modern usage it functions primarily as an adjective, although it can also be the present participle of untrust. It belongs to a wider English word family that includes trust, mistrust, entrust, trustee, and untrusted.
Related word forms
How untrusting is actually used
The word is neutral in register but is less common in everyday speech than wary, suspicious, or distrustful. It can describe either a person's general disposition or distrust directed at a particular person, institution, or situation.
Easily confused with untrusting
Untrusting describes a person's cautious attitude, whereas untrustworthy describes someone or something considered unreliable or dishonest.