untrustworthy

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UK/ˌʌnˈtɹʌstˌwɜːði/Canada, US/ˌʌnˈtɹʌstˌwɜɹ.ði/Canada, US[ˌʌnˈtɹʌstˌwɝ.ði]Australia/ˌɐnˈtɹɐst.wɜː.ði/

adjective

Not deserving of trust; unreliable.

Similar
inaccurateinsincereunreliablefaithlessslipperyuntrustydeviousshifty
Opposite
trueaccuratesincerefaithfulreliable
OriginEnglish trustworthy ← Middle English un- ← Old English un- →
UncommonScrabble 22
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Meanings

adjectiveuntrustworthy (comparative more untrustworthy or (uncommon) untrustworthier, superlative most untrustworthy or (uncommon) untrustworthiest)

comparative more untrustworthy · comparative uncommon untrustworthier · superlative most untrustworthy · superlative uncommon untrustworthiest

  1. Not deserving of trust; unreliable.

    While a corrupt Chuch and untrustworthy nobles and kings scraped for power, businessmen in Italy honored pledges of businessmen from England and Scandinavia. This trust (some have called it honor among thieves) is still a hallmark of modern brokerage.

    2000, Robert Sobel, The Big Board: A History of the New York Stock Market, →ISBN, page 4

    Synonyms: inaccurate, insincere, unreliable, faithless, slippery

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveNot deserving of trust; unreliable.

Similar
inaccurateinsincereunreliablefaithlessslippery

antonym(s) of “not deserving of trust, unreliable”

Opposite
trueaccuratesincerefaithfulreliable

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivenot worthy of trust or belief

Similar
untrustydeviousshiftyfly-by-nightslipperytricky
Opposite
trustworthy
Also see
deviousfly-by-nightshiftyslipperytrickyuntrusty

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
  3. Proto-Germanic*un-
  4. Proto-West Germanic*un-
  5. Old Englishun-
  6. Middle Englishun-
  7. Englishun-
  8. Englishtrustworthy
  9. Englishuntrustworthy

From un- + trustworthy.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ἄπιστος
  • ἄπιστος (ápistos)not deserving of trust; unreliable
Bulgarian ненадежден
  • ненадежден (nenadežden)not deserving of trust; unreliable
Czech nedůvěryhodný
  • nedůvěryhodnýnot deserving of trust; unreliable
Dutch onbetrouwbaar
  • onbetrouwbaarnot deserving of trust; unreliable
Esperanto malfidinda
  • malfidindanot deserving of trust; unreliable
Estonian ebausaldusväärne
  • ebausaldusväärnenot deserving of trust; unreliable
German unzuverlässig, nicht vertrauenswürdig
  • unzuverlässignot deserving of trust; unreliable
  • nicht vertrauenswürdignot deserving of trust; unreliable
Hungarian megbízhatatlan
  • megbízhatatlannot deserving of trust; unreliable
Latin infidus, levifīdus
  • infidusnot deserving of trust; unreliable
  • levifīdusnot deserving of trust; unreliable
Māori ngutu tere
  • ngutu terenot deserving of trust; unreliable
Romanian îndoielnic, nesigur
  • îndoielnicnot deserving of trust; unreliable
  • nesigurnot deserving of trust; unreliable
Russian ненадёжный, не заслу́живающий дове́рия
  • ненадёжный (nenadjóžnyj)not deserving of trust; unreliable
  • не заслу́живающий дове́рия (ne zaslúživajuščij dovérija)not deserving of trust; unreliable
Spanish no/poco/nada fidedigno/confiable/fehaciente, no ser de confiar
  • no/poco/nada fidedigno/confiable/fehacientenot deserving of trust; unreliable
  • no ser de confiarnot deserving of trust; unreliable
Swedish opålitlig
  • opålitlignot deserving of trust; unreliable
Cite this entry
APA

untrustworthy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/untrustworthy

MLA

“untrustworthy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/untrustworthy. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “untrustworthy,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/untrustworthy.

Source: untrustworthy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.