Etymologically
Log in

trustworthy

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the English word trustworthy

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1658 Edward Hyde, Christ and his Church
Ultimate origins
Old Norse traustMiddle English wurþi
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English trust
English trustworthy
From the same root
English distrust ← trust
English trustee ← trust

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈtɹʌst.wɜː.ði/[1]
  • US: /ˈtɹʌstˌwɜɹ.ði/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English trust + worthy, from the noun trust and the adjective worthy.[2][3][4][5] The OED compares the earlier faithworthy, built the same way.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Deserving trust or confidence; reliable: 1658, in Edward Hyde's Christ and his Church.[2]

Semantic evolution

The meaning has not changed since the first record: the word has always described a person or thing that can be relied on.[2][6] Its first dates differ widely between the dictionaries, because the revised OED (2015) found much earlier evidence than older works: the 1989 OED began with 1808,[7] Merriam-Webster gives 1714,[6] Etymonline 1791,[3] and Dictionary.com and the Shorter Oxford date it to the early 19th century.[5][4] The noun trustworthiness is from the early 19th century and the adverb trustworthily from the mid 19th century.[4]

Timeline

  • 1658 – worthy of trust or confidence, in Edward Hyde.[2]
  • 1714 – first known use in Merriam-Webster.[6]
  • 1791 – first date in Etymonline.[3]
  • 1808 – first quotation in the 1989 OED.[7]
  • early 19th century – trustworthiness.[4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Deserving trust or confidence; reliable and honest: She was the most trustworthy clerk in the office.[8][6][2]

Word family

  • trustworthily
  • trustworthiness
  • trusty
  • faithworthy
  • untrustworthy

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Trustworthy.” Etymologically, 31 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/trustworthy. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·