These words indicate various degrees of caution, doubt or fear that lead to a lack of faith in something or an embittered outlook. Distrustful refers to seemingly well-grounded suspicions of undependability or disloyalty that make one unwilling to give credence to something: inaccuracies in the report that made him distrustful of its conclusions; distrustful of adults who always spoke of how much harder they had worked when they were young. Mistrustful suggests a much less clear-cut suspicion, one which might amount to no more than a growing uncertainty mingled with an indefinable uneasiness and possibly even fear: more and more mistrustful of her companion as he led her deeper into the dense forest. Distrustful may suggest detached or informed judgement that guards one from taking a false step; mistrustful may suggest an anxious vulnerability that might already be exposed to or involved in danger because of a previous misstep.

Chary is more closely aligned with mistrustful in indicting a cautious, fussy or grudging attitude, whether it is the result of natural timidity or painful past experience. The word suggests the same uneasiness or fear as mistrustful , but implies a hanging back from rather than involvement in a situation: chary of strangers; chary of eating undercooked food even after the epidemic was over. Disillusioned specifically suggests a posture of detachment or bitterness born of past experience that has subverted one’s hopes or ideals.

• Had she been more distrustful of his absurd promises, she wouldn’t be so disillusioned now; She travels with a group of teenagers who try to appear disillusioned and blasé about life.

Cynical indicates a disillusioned attitude that has hardened into extreme bitterness, although this may be leavened with resignation: She was cynical about her husband’s vow to stop drinking. The word can also point to a readiness to be distrustful on the basis of little or no evidence: cynical about any account of the altruism of people younger than he.

Jaundiced is a more informal and colourful substitute for cynical , suggesting a hard-bitten sceptic who prefers to look at something or at everything from a negative point of view: he had a jaundiced attitude towards all proposals for slum clearance that differed in the slightest from his own; a man who was content to look at life with a jaundiced eye.