trustworthy

trustworthy — adjective

1. You describe a person, organization, or piece of information as trustworthy when

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

You describe a person, organization, or piece of information as trustworthy when you feel sure that they are honest, will tell the truth, and will do what they promise.

Example

Pim has always been a trustworthy friend who never breaks a promise.

trustworthy + noun (friend, colleague, source)

Kwame proved himself trustworthy by returning the wallet he found on the bus.

prove + reflexive pronoun + trustworthy

Common collocations
  • trustworthy friend / colleague / partner / leader
  • trustworthy source / information / data / advice
  • prove / consider / deem someone trustworthy
  • perfectly / entirely / completely / highly trustworthy
Synonyms
  • reliable

    More focused on consistency and dependability than honesty; a reliable car is trustworthy in performance, but not necessarily in character.

  • dependable

    Very close in meaning, but 'dependable' especially emphasizes that you can count on someone or something in difficult or important situations.

  • honest

    Narrower in scope — focuses on truthfulness and sincerity rather than general reliability or trust.

  • credible

    Used mainly for information, evidence, or explanations; less common for describing people's character.

Antonyms
  • untrustworthy

    Direct opposite; describes someone or something that cannot be trusted.

  • unreliable

    Cannot be depended on to perform consistently or tell the truth.

  • dishonest

    Specifically about lacking truthfulness or being deceptive.

Grammar Patterns

trustworthy + noun

be + trustworthy

prove/consider/deem + someone/something + trustworthy

Usage Note

When applied to people, 'trustworthy' describes character — the person is honest and keeps promises. When applied to information, data, or sources, it means the content is accurate and reliable. The usual comparative pattern is 'more trustworthy' and 'most trustworthy', not 'trustworthier' / 'trustworthiest'.

Common Mistakes

She is a very trustful assistant.
She is a very trustworthy assistant.
'trustful' means someone who trusts others easily, not someone who deserves trust.
The information comes from a trustable source.
The information comes from a trustworthy source.
'trustable' is very uncommon in modern English; 'trustworthy' is the standard adjective.

Word family

  • trust
    nounB1
  • trust
    verbB1
  • trustworthiness
    nounB2
  • untrustworthy
    adjectiveB2
  • trusty
    adjectiveB2
  • trusting
    adjectiveB2
  • trustful
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe someone or something you can count on, but they differ in scope and usage. 'Trustworthy' is the broadest — it covers honesty of character, reliability of action, and accuracy of information. 'Reliable' focuses on consistency: a reliable bus arrives on time, but a reliable colleague may or may not be honest. 'Dependable' overlaps heavily with reliable but adds a sense of emotional security: you turn to a dependable person in a crisis. 'Credible' is used almost exclusively for evidence, sources, or explanations rather than people ('a credible witness' is standard, but 'a credible friend' is unusual). 'Honest' is the narrowest, restricted to truthfulness and sincerity. For example: 'The accountant was both honest and trustworthy, so clients never worried about their money.'

reliable ↗dependable ↗credible ↗honest ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • trustworthy friend
  • trustworthy colleague
  • trustworthy source
  • trustworthy information
  • trustworthy data
  • trustworthy leader
  • trustworthy reputation

Adverbs

  • perfectly trustworthy
  • entirely trustworthy
  • completely trustworthy
  • highly trustworthy
  • not entirely trustworthy

Phrases

  • prove oneself trustworthy
  • consider someone trustworthy
  • deem something trustworthy
  • earn a trustworthy reputation

Etymology

Old NorseOld EnglishEnglish

Formed in English by combining 'trust' (noun, borrowed from Old Norse 'traust', meaning confidence or reliance) with 'worthy' (from Old English 'weorþ' + '-ig', meaning having sufficient merit or value). The compound 'trustworthy' first appeared in English writing around the early 19th century.