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
Charlie Campbell, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
In the past, public distrust has been a huge barrier to the development of nuclear power, and transparency is an important way to counter that mistrust.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 28 Jan. 2026
Devi Shastri, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
But Weiss’s arrival at the network also coincided with a long-simmering crisis in broadcast news, in which its programming is increasingly distrusted by a rapidly dwindling audience.
—Clare Malone, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for distrust
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Noun
Some 3,500 people were extrajudicially disappeared during the last 15 years of Hasina’s reign, says the interim government, while every institution was politicized, engendering deep distrust of the military, courts, civil service, and especially security services.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
In the past, public distrust has been a huge barrier to the development of nuclear power, and transparency is an important way to counter that mistrust.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 28 Jan. 2026
Verb
Many people living in communities where the virus is spreading face health care barriers and distrust the government.
—Devi Shastri, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
But Weiss’s arrival at the network also coincided with a long-simmering crisis in broadcast news, in which its programming is increasingly distrusted by a rapidly dwindling audience.
—Clare Malone, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for distrust
Cite this Entry
“Distrust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distrust. Accessed 29 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
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