trusted

trusted — adjective

1. considered reliable and safe to depend on, usually because of a consistent recor

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

considered reliable and safe to depend on, usually because of a consistent record of honesty, skill, or good results

Example

Imran has been my trusted advisor for more than ten years.

collocation: trusted advisor / trusted friend / trusted colleague

The company buys parts only from a small group of trusted suppliers.

collocation: trusted suppliers — business context

Common collocations
  • trusted advisor
  • trusted friend
  • trusted colleague
  • trusted source
  • trusted brand
  • trusted supplier
  • trusted partner
  • trusted name
Synonyms
  • reliable

    broader — can apply to machines, systems, and data, not just people or institutions

  • dependable

    focuses on consistency over time; slightly more formal than trusted

  • trustworthy

    stronger connotation of moral integrity and honesty rather than just performance

Antonyms
  • untrustworthy

    opposite emphasis on moral integrity — cannot be relied on to be honest

  • unreliable

    broader — applies to both performance and character

Grammar Patterns

trusted + noun

Usage Note

This adjective is almost always used attributively — placed before the noun it describes (e.g., a trusted colleague, not ✗ the colleague is trusted). Common noun partners include advisor, friend, colleague, source, brand, supplier, and institution.

Common Mistakes

She is a trustful friend.
She is a trusted friend.
'trustful' means 'full of trust' (someone who trusts others easily), not 'deserving of trust.'
He keeps his documents in a trustful bank.
He keeps his documents in a trusted bank.
'trustful' describes a person's nature, not an institution's reliability.

Word family

  • trust
    verbA2
  • trust
    nounA2
  • trusting
    adjectiveB1
  • trustworthy
    adjectiveB1
  • untrustworthy
    adjectiveB2
  • entrust
    verbB2
  • trustful
    adjectiveC1
  • distrust
    nounB2
  • distrust
    verbB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something or someone you can count on, but they differ in scope and emphasis. Trusted emphasises that trust has actually been placed in the person or thing over time — it results from real experience (a trusted advisor who has guided you for years). Trustworthy points more to inherent moral character; a trustworthy person is honest by nature even if you have not worked with them before. Reliable is the broadest term — it applies to machines (a reliable car), systems (reliable internet), and people (a reliable employee), focusing on consistent performance rather than integrity. Dependable is close to reliable but stresses that you can lean on the person or thing in moments of need. In daily use, a trusted colleague is someone whose work you know well; a trustworthy colleague is someone whose honesty you would never question; a reliable colleague always meets deadlines.

trusted ↗trustworthy ↗reliable ↗dependable ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • widely trusted
  • universally trusted

Phrases

  • most trusted
  • long trusted
  • widely trusted

Prepositions

  • trusted by
  • trusted for
  • trusted with

Etymology

Old NorseMiddle EnglishEnglish

Derived from the noun trust (from Old Norse traust, meaning 'confidence, help, or protection') with the -ed suffix, forming an adjective meaning 'having trust placed in one'. The noun trust entered Middle English through Scandinavian influence and gradually developed the verb and adjective forms still in use today.