mistrust

American  

[mis-truhst] / mɪsˈtrʌst /

noun

1. lack of trust or confidence; distrust.

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verb (used with object)

1. to regard with mistrust, suspicion, or doubt; distrust.

2. to surmise.

verb (used without object)

1. to be distrustful.

mistrust British  

/ ˌmɪsˈtrʌst /

verb

1. to have doubts or suspicions about (someone or something)

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noun

1. distrust

Usage

What’s the difference between mistrust and distrust? As nouns, mistrust and distrust 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 mistrust and distrust 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 mistrust and distrust.

Other Word Forms

• mistruster noun
• mistrustful adjective
• mistrustfully adverb
• mistrustfulness noun
• mistrustingly adverb
• self-mistrust noun
• unmistrusted adjective
• unmistrusting adjective

Etymology

Origin of mistrust

1350–1400; Middle English mistrusten (v.), mistrust (noun). See mis- ¹, trust

Explanation

To mistrust is to feel uneasy about someone or something. If you mistrust bus drivers, you may decide to walk instead. Are you suspicious of clowns in general? Then you mistrust them. This verb has a very similar meaning to distrust — as nouns, both words mean "a lack of trust." A subtle difference between the two is that distrust tends to be based on a bad experience (if a clown once pinched you, you will probably always distrust that clown). Mistrust, on the other hand, is a more general sense of suspicion.

Example Sentences

Once confined to the internet's fringes, conspiracy theories have moved squarely into the mainstream amid growing mistrust of public institutions and traditional media.

From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026

That history of mistrust is an important backdrop to Thursday's escalation, shaping how Baku interprets every move coming from Tehran.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026

Creating this chasm of mistrust between patient and provider will have devastating effects on the vaccination rates of children in the U.S. that may take a decade or even a generation to correct.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

“Flock sincerely regrets the confusion and mistrust this has created within several communities, and made every effort possible to determine the cause of each reported instance of inadvertent sharing,” the post read.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

The hate and mistrust burning in the soldiers’ eyes might have shrunken my spine, but it only sparked rebellion in the older kids.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

Related Words

• apprehension
• distrust
• doubt
• fear
• foreboding
• misgiving
• skepticism
• suspicion
• uncertainty
• wariness