distrusted; distrusting; distrusts
: to have no trust or confidence in
Examples of distrust in a Sentence
Noun
He has a distrust of doctors.
the psychic's bold claims were greeted with distrust and outright scorn
Verb
She's always distrusted their promises.
we instinctively distrust those phone calls that tell us we have won a free vacation or car
Recent Examples on the Web
Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
That fear, and the general distrust that has always existed between the players and owners, is why Manfred’s idea is unlikely to be implemented anytime soon.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 11 Jan. 2026
Stat Staff, STAT, 29 Dec. 2025
Betrayal trauma often leads to shame, self-blame and fear and can leave survivors alienated from and distrusting of others.
—Anne P. Deprince, The Conversation, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distrust
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
That is so important in these situations, in which there is deep distrust of law enforcement by protesters and community groups.
—Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
That fear, and the general distrust that has always existed between the players and owners, is why Manfred’s idea is unlikely to be implemented anytime soon.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 11 Jan. 2026
Verb
But Durham goes deeper, delving into sticky areas like the conspiracy theories that make Black people distrust the system, and how negative health care experiences are keeping potential donors from checking that box at the DMV.
—Stat Staff, STAT, 29 Dec. 2025
Betrayal trauma often leads to shame, self-blame and fear and can leave survivors alienated from and distrusting of others.
—Anne P. Deprince, The Conversation, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distrust
Cite this Entry
“Distrust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distrust. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
distrust
1 of 2 verb
dis·trust
(ˈ)dis-ˈtrəst 
: to have no trust or confidence in
distrust
2 of 2 noun
: a lack of trust or confidence
distrustful
adjective
-fəl
distrustfully
adverb
-fə-lē
distrustfulness
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
