trustworthy
TRUHST-wer-thee
/ˈtrʌstˌwɜː.ði/
Able to be relied on as honest or truthful.
A practical, everyday term for someone who keeps promises and tells the truth.
The story behind the word. A Germanic compound combining 'trust' (from Old Norse 'traust', meaning confidence or help) and 'worthy' (from Old English 'weorð', meaning having value or merit). Literally, 'deserving of confidence'.
Word relationships
- reliable: Reliable means performing consistently well, whereas trustworthy emphasizes moral honesty and integrity.
- honest: Honest refers to telling the truth, while trustworthy is broader, encompassing keeping secrets and fulfilling duties.
- deceitful: Deceitful implies an active intention to mislead or lie to others.
- unreliable: Unreliable means not able to be relied upon, though not necessarily due to bad intentions.
Commonly confused with
- trusting: Trustworthy means deserving of trust, while trusting means gullible or quick to trust others.
Word family
- trustworthiness (noun): The ability to be relied on as honest or truthful.
Collocations
- trustworthy source
- trustworthy friend
- highly trustworthy
Idioms & expressions
- as good as one's word
- straight shooter
Example sentences
- "The manager was looking for a trustworthy assistant to handle the company's finances." Evaluating a potential employee.
- "A trustworthy news source must verify facts before publishing them." From a discussion on journalism ethics.
Memory hook
Simply break it down: someone who is 'worthy' of your 'trust'. TRUST-WORTHY: Literally, someone who is WORTHY of your TRUST.
When not to use
It is rarely incorrect, but in highly academic or legal contexts, 'credible' or 'fiduciary' might be more precise.
Fun facts
- The first law of the Boy Scouts is 'A Scout is trustworthy,' highlighting it as a foundational moral virtue.
Related words
Explore more words
straightforward, upstanding, fidelity, probity, candid, fearless
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.