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
- distruster noun
- distrustful adjective
- distrustfully adverb
- distrustfulness noun
- predistrust noun
Etymology
Origin of 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.
Everyone hates the Girl Boss, but female founders really were underresourced, and female ambition really was treated with disdain and distrust.
From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026
The suit also alleges that “the sheriff’s misguided investigation threatens to sow distrust and jeopardize public confidence in the upcoming primary and general elections, not just in Riverside County but around the state.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
Incorrect warnings can cause costly evacuations, economic disruption, and public distrust of monitoring systems.
From Science Daily • Mar. 15, 2026
The toxic turn between OpenAI and Anthropic fuels distrust and threatens to further rupture consensus around still-evolving safety practices.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026
My hands clenched at my side, all of the anxiety and distrust that had been swelling up inside of me over the past few hours coming to a head.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
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.
