distrust
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
verb
noun
Usage
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.
Related Words
See suspicion.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of distrust
Explanation
Distrust is a feeling of doubt about some person or thing. We distrust people who aren't honest. When you trust someone, you believe in her, so the opposite is true of distrust. Trust is from the Old Norse word traust meaning "confidence." Put a dis in front of it, and to distrust is to have no confidence in someone or something. As a noun, distrust is the feeling of doubt. In a corrupt workplace, there will be a lot of distrust. Where there's distrust, there's not much harmony.
Vocabulary lists containing distrust
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One expert told the BBC that research shows people are worse at detecting AI fakes than they think, and the more AI content they see, the more likely they are to distrust authentic material.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
The agenda exposes the mutual dependence of the two rival superpowers, marked by distrust but driven by a quest for cooperation and stability.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
His eight months as ambassador have been marked by a series of crises that have fostered growing distrust of America among many Europeans.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
There’s also a distrust that anything agreed upon at the summit will stick.
From Barron's • May 12, 2026
It was a strange thing that the patient had humour enough to see their distrust, for, coming close to me, he said in a whisper, all the while looking furtively at them:—
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
