mistrust
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
mistrusts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
mistrusted,
past participle, past
-
mistrusting
present participle
-
to regard with mistrust, suspicion, or doubt; distrust.
-
to surmise.
verb (used without object)
-
mistrusts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
mistrusted,
past participle, past
-
mistrusting
present participle
verb
noun
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
Derived Forms
-
mistrusternoun
-
mistrustfulnessnoun
-
self-mistrustnoun
-
mistrustfuladjective
-
unmistrustedadjective
-
unmistrustingadjective
-
mistrustfullyadverb
-
mistrustinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
mistrustsimple
-
mistrustssimple
-
have mistrustedperfect
-
has mistrustedperfect
-
am mistrustingprogressive
-
are mistrustingprogressive
-
is mistrustingprogressive
-
have been mistrustingperfect progressive
-
has been mistrustingperfect progressive
Past
-
mistrustedsimple
-
had mistrustedperfect
-
was mistrustingprogressive
-
were mistrustingprogressive
-
had been mistrustingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing mistrust
"Thank You, M'am"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
mis-
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
mis-
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
The Ebola campaign faces mistrust from some people in a country where the state struggles to make its presence felt and corruption is widespread.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
Participants who had more frequent contact with others were also more likely to report increased conflict, greater mistrust, and lower performance.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
“This only deepens the growing mistrust of the actions of prosecutors,” the judge wrote.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
“There’s a lot of mistrust for the status quo right now,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Deep inside the CIA, these questions sowed confusion and mistrust among the Agency's most senior agents and leaders.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
On the contrary, he mistrusts them, scorning even the praise heaped upon him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026
Johann Scholtz, European bank analyst at Morningstar, mistrusts the earnings expectations.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2025
The fisherman mistrusts her motive and gains enlightenment when she tells him there is no deceit in heaven.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2016
Obama has been supportive of Kerry’s diplomatic efforts with Russia, over the objections of the Pentagon, which mistrusts Moscow’s intentions.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 20, 2016
It is not “old friends” he mistrusts, he says, but the chances of war—the accidental passing of letters into hands and under eyes for which they were never written.
From Charlotte Brontë and Her Circle by Clement King Shorter
She mistrusted the comfort of a collective identity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
This new wave of Chinese migrants – many of them still awaiting asylum – now feel themselves caught in a pincer: mistrusted by Americans, unwanted by Beijing, and sometimes suspended in legal limbo.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2025
“The human rights people mistrusted the military, the military distrusted the guerrillas.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2023
Involving the Shin Bet, which is deeply mistrusted by Palestinian citizens, is another sign of the tone deafness, critics say.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 18, 2023
“I had to see you—not that I mistrusted Samuel, but just to prove it to myself.”
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
To the Ukrainian leader -- seen as mistrusting of those with political ambitions or popular appeal -- the ever-loyal Syrsky, a career military man, was in many respects an ideal commander.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Together with a delegation of deeply mistrusting negotiators from Tehran, Vance is tasked with striking a lasting peace between rival nations that have failed to keep promises made days ago in a delicate last-minute ceasefire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
"My child started losing faith in me, they started mistrusting me."
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2023
As a result, Ada was mistrusting and suspicious.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 14, 2023
I felt ashamed that I could even think about mistrusting Quintus.
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
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.
