mistrust

[ mis-truhst ]

noun

1. lack of trust or confidence; distrust.

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

/ ˌmɪsˈtrʌst /

verb

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

noun

1. distrust

Derived Forms

• ˌmisˈtrustfully, adverb
• ˌmisˈtrustfulness, noun
• ˌmisˈtrustful, adjective
• ˌmisˈtruster, noun

Other Words From

• mis·truster noun
• mis·trusting·ly adverb
• self-mis·trust noun
• unmis·trusted adjective
• unmis·trusting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mistrust¹

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

Example Sentences

The West harbors a mistrust towards non-humans that the East does not.

From Singularity Hub 

The soaring ambition, however, is set to run headlong into the barriers to health care and mistrust of speedily developed vaccines that mark Perry County and other rural, impoverished parts of America.

From Washington Post

If he actually does this post-Election Day, media organizations will be forced to grapple with reporting on the news of the day — the president’s words — and battling misinformation and mistrust.

From FiveThirtyEight

One can imagine there will only be deepening mistrust in the media if news organizations continue to lose that visibility.

From Digiday

They’ve had consistent communication to the public, one voice that was giving accurate information, and they built the confidence of the public rather than mistrust.

From Nautilus

The problem starts in that instant of electric mistrust when the cop reaches for his gun, or employs a homicidal chokehold.

From The Daily Beast

As the Ebola epidemic began sweeping through the region, fear and mistrust of the health workers in West Point escalated.

From The Daily Beast

Those who neglect or mistrust him may be punished--indeed may deserve to be.

From The Daily Beast

Racial mistrust, military tactics against citizens, dissent quashed.

From The Daily Beast

A particularly worrisome indicator of this mistrust has been the booming alternative medicine industry.

From The Daily Beast

Full of fears, anxiety, and mistrust, it was a very dispirited Rabecque that now slowly followed Monsieur Gaubert into the inn.

From Project Gutenberg

Sarah and Fennefos met in the passage; both were conscious that there was some slight mistrust of them among the others.

From Project Gutenberg

Assuming the killer was a person Carmack had reason to mistrust—or to fear—he had to solve the neuro-vibe in order to gain access.

From Project Gutenberg

With a final effort of mistrust the cardinal raised his head and interrogated the other's clear and sure gaze.

From Project Gutenberg

His evil eyes I much mistrust; but he seem friendly be, and food prepare for us when there we go.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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

Mistrust Vs. Distrust

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.

Quiz yourself on mistrust vs. distrust!

True or False? 

Mistrust is only ever a verb, while distrust is only ever a noun.