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

Other Word Forms

• mistrustfully adverb
• mistrustful adjective
• mistrustfulness noun
• mistruster noun
• mistrustingly adverb
• self-mistrust noun
• unmistrusted adjective
• unmistrusting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mistrust¹

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

Example Sentences

Afterwards, hundreds of HHS officials wrote a letter to Kennedy, accusing him of fuelling mistrust in public health officials by spreading misinformation.

From BBC

Yet less than a decade later, the two managed to stitch together a landmark civilian nuclear deal, signalling a willingness on both sides to overcome mistrust when strategic logic demanded it.

From BBC

Measles tends to take hold in undervaccinated communities, and therefore public health workers must overcome mistrust, misinformation, language barriers, and more.

From Salon

The police say they are mostly harmless but there has been a resurgence of the beliefs in recent years - in part fuelled by mistrust in authorities which has been exacerbated by the Covid pandemic.

From BBC

Their faces — curious, cautious and skeptical — mirrored a sentiment across the Armenian diaspora: hope tempered by doubt, pride shadowed by mistrust.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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

When To Use

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.