Etymologically
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trustworthy

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 15:29. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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