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.
Synonym Usage
See suspicion.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have distrustedperfect
-
has distrustedperfect 3rd person singular
-
are distrustingprogressive
-
is distrustingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
am distrustingprogressive 1st person singular
-
distrustingparticiple
-
distrustssingular 3rd person
-
have been distrustingperfect progressive
-
has been distrustingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
-
had distrustedperfect
-
were distrustingprogressive plural
-
was distrustingprogressive singular
-
distrustedparticiple
-
distrustedsimple
-
had been distrustingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Community distrust and misplaced fears have been two of the most challenging aspects of this current outbreak.
From Slate • Jun. 9, 2026
Meanwhile, county prosecutor John McKinney tapped into voter frustration with homeless encampments, a blighted downtown and general distrust of City Hall to pull off a last-minute heist of the second runoff spot.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
This is the precise setup Shin’s research was built to distrust.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026
As the struggling men and women in “Land” endure defeat and distrust victory, it is their frailty as much as their strength that wins our sympathy and holds our attention.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
Then there was always distrust of that which one did not know and understand.
From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck
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.
