Literary notes about Distrustful (AI summary)
Authors deploy "distrustful" to evoke a keen sense of wariness and inner reservation in their characters and settings. In some narratives, it underscores the character's heightened suspicion and reluctance to accept appearances at face value—as seen when a character observes a retreating figure with wary eyes [1] or expresses a general misgiving about another's motives [2]. At times, the term also carries a broader social commentary, capturing both personal and cultural hesitancy, whether it is used to illustrate the cautious reserve borne from personal betrayals [3] or to highlight political and societal disquiet [4]. This multifaceted use enriches the narrative texture by lending both introspective depth and critical perspective to human interactions [5] and interpersonal dynamics [6].
- “The devil only knows, what if he deceives us?” thought Miüsov, still hesitating, and watching the retreating buffoon with distrustful eyes.
— from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - But I am distrustful of your doggish lust.
— from Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche - He wondered, in a self-distrustful way, what would come of it.
— from A Venetian June by Anna Fuller - Poor Mr. Casaubon was distrustful of everybody's feeling towards him, especially as a husband.
— from Middlemarch by George Eliot - But reasons make the populace distrustful.
— from Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche - “They can still be called back,” said one of his suite, who like Count Orlóv felt distrustful of the adventure when he looked at the enemy’s camp.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy
