distrust

[ dis-truhst ]

verb (used with object)

1. to regard with doubt or suspicion; have no trust in.

noun

1. lack of trust; doubt; suspicion.

distrust

/ dɪsˈtrʌst /

verb

1. to regard as untrustworthy or dishonest

noun

1. suspicion; doubt

Derived Forms

• disˈtruster, noun
• disˈtrustfully, adverb
• disˈtrustfulness, noun
• disˈtrustful, adjective

Other Words From

• dis·truster noun
• predis·trust noun verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of distrust¹

First recorded in 1505–15; dis- ¹ + trust

Synonym Study

See suspicion.

Example Sentences

Trump's unusual transition is rooted deep in his distrust of the current government, which he blames for leveling criminal charges against him, sources close to Trump’s transition team told The Post.

From Salon

I implicitly distrust any custard pie recipe that tells you to bake it at a higher temperature because it just isn’t right.

From Salon

Although a string of nuclear disasters decades ago had caused the majority of older Americans to distrust the technology, this hasn’t been the case for younger generations.

From Los Angeles Times

Notably, the rise in executive powers has coincided with a creeping distrust of government in this country.

From Salon

But distrust is fuelled by the fact that neither India nor Mauritius has published the details of the 2015 memorandum of understanding, so their plans for the future are unknown.

From BBC

Related Words

• disbelief
• doubt
• misgiving
• mistrust
• skepticism
• suspicion
• wariness

Distrust Vs. Mistrust

What’s the difference between distrust and mistrust?

As nouns, distrust and mistrust mean just about the same thing: doubt or suspicion—a lack of trust.

As verbs, they are also often used interchangeably to mean to regard someone with suspicion—to not trust them.

Some people think that there is a subtle difference in what each word implies. Distrust, they say, implies that there is a strong reason for the lack of trust—that it’s based on something that a person has already done. Mistrust, on the other hand, is said to be based on suspicion, as opposed to having a basis in someone’s past actions.

This may be what some people intend to imply when they use each word, but, still, most people use the two of them in just about the same way. Distrust is the more commonly used of the two. The adjective distrustful is also more common than mistrustful.

Here are some examples of distrust and mistrust used correctly in a sentence. In both cases, the other word could be swapped in without changing the meaning.

Example: I have a deep mistrust of landlords. 

Example: She has distrusted me ever since I lost her book—and I think her distrust of me has grown since then. 

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between distrust and mistrust.

Quiz yourself on distrust vs. mistrust!

True or False? 

Distrust is only ever a verb, while mistrust is only ever a noun.