mistrusted; mistrusting; mistrusts
1
: to have no trust or confidence in : suspect
mistrusted his neighbors
2
: to doubt the truth, validity, or effectiveness of
mistrusted his own judgment
3
: surmise
your mind mistrusted there was something wrong—
Robert Frost
Robert Frost
: to be suspicious
Synonyms
Examples of mistrust in a Sentence
Noun
She has a strong mistrust of politicians.
had an unfortunate mistrust of doctors, so her medical condition was allowed to worsen
Verb
I was starting to mistrust my own judgment.
a recluse who mistrusts her neighbors and stays in her house all day
Recent Examples on the WebMaya King, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023
Farrell said that feelings of mistrust in federal government regulations and vaccine mandates are not uncommon among Black and brown patients.
—Claretta Bellamy, NBC News, 12 Oct. 2023
Mistrust of Covid treatments originated in the mistrust of older vaccines.
—WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
And clearly this doesn't solve the deep mistrust between these countries.
—ABC News, 19 Nov. 2023
This only serves to deepen mistrust, making the population more wary of state actions.
FROM WAR TO PEACE
Great complexity and risk come with any attempt to pursue transitional justice in Ethiopia.
—Patrick Vinck, Foreign Affairs, 15 Nov. 2023
Mark Penley, who served as the deputy attorney general for criminal justice under Paxton for one year, said in testimony that the attorney general’s mistrust came from his own experiences.
—Aarón Torres, Dallas News, 11 Sep. 2023
McKinley-Beach also wants the U.S. government to expand the message that anyone can get HIV, encourage drug companies to advertise more on TV to women of color, and fund outreach to dispel medical mistrust in communities of color.
—Michael Scaturro | Kff Health News, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2023
ProPublica’s story described how the delay in approving an independent review contributed to an atmosphere of mistrust among parents and community members.
—Anna Clark, ProPublica, 31 Oct. 2023
Justin Gamble, CNN, 3 Aug. 2023
But the note was also an effort to win Jones support from a Slack workforce that had the potential to mistrust its new outsider CEO.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 1 June 2023
Its tendency was to trust markets and to mistrust regulation.
—Patrick Iber, The New Republic, 15 May 2023
Accusations abound, misinformation is propagated, mistrust is abundant, and institutions and leaders are being called to account.
—David Rosowsky, Forbes, 4 May 2023
Such a haphazard approach not only leads to mistrust inside communities, experts say, but wastes an opportunity to extract lessons that may prevent the next tragedy.
—Anna Clark, ProPublica, 14 May 2023
Biden’s role in negotiating a final deal that year with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has long been a reason for progressive activists to mistrust him.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2023
The world of higher education is often a mystery to those outside its walls, often misunderstood, increasingly mistrusted, and even maligned.
—David Rosowsky, Forbes, 1 Apr. 2023
While Democratic officials essentially expressed the same level of confidence in elections in their own communities and Michigan, Republican officials were significantly more likely to mistrust Michigan elections conducted outside their own jurisdiction.
—Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press, 19 Nov. 2021
See More
Noun
Internally, the campaign was plagued by miscommunications, missed opportunities and mistrust.
—Maya King, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023
Farrell said that feelings of mistrust in federal government regulations and vaccine mandates are not uncommon among Black and brown patients.
—Claretta Bellamy, NBC News, 12 Oct. 2023
Mistrust of Covid treatments originated in the mistrust of older vaccines.
—WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
And clearly this doesn't solve the deep mistrust between these countries.
—ABC News, 19 Nov. 2023
This only serves to deepen mistrust, making the population more wary of state actions.
FROM WAR TO PEACE
Great complexity and risk come with any attempt to pursue transitional justice in Ethiopia.
—Patrick Vinck, Foreign Affairs, 15 Nov. 2023
Mark Penley, who served as the deputy attorney general for criminal justice under Paxton for one year, said in testimony that the attorney general’s mistrust came from his own experiences.
—Aarón Torres, Dallas News, 11 Sep. 2023
McKinley-Beach also wants the U.S. government to expand the message that anyone can get HIV, encourage drug companies to advertise more on TV to women of color, and fund outreach to dispel medical mistrust in communities of color.
—Michael Scaturro | Kff Health News, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2023
ProPublica’s story described how the delay in approving an independent review contributed to an atmosphere of mistrust among parents and community members.
—Anna Clark, ProPublica, 31 Oct. 2023
Verb
The unfair treatment could have negative health consequences, cause additional stress to patients and lead them to mistrust the health care system to the point of forgoing necessary treatments, Gonzalez said.
—Justin Gamble, CNN, 3 Aug. 2023
But the note was also an effort to win Jones support from a Slack workforce that had the potential to mistrust its new outsider CEO.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 1 June 2023
Its tendency was to trust markets and to mistrust regulation.
—Patrick Iber, The New Republic, 15 May 2023
Accusations abound, misinformation is propagated, mistrust is abundant, and institutions and leaders are being called to account.
—David Rosowsky, Forbes, 4 May 2023
Such a haphazard approach not only leads to mistrust inside communities, experts say, but wastes an opportunity to extract lessons that may prevent the next tragedy.
—Anna Clark, ProPublica, 14 May 2023
Biden’s role in negotiating a final deal that year with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has long been a reason for progressive activists to mistrust him.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2023
The world of higher education is often a mystery to those outside its walls, often misunderstood, increasingly mistrusted, and even maligned.
—David Rosowsky, Forbes, 1 Apr. 2023
While Democratic officials essentially expressed the same level of confidence in elections in their own communities and Michigan, Republican officials were significantly more likely to mistrust Michigan elections conducted outside their own jurisdiction.
—Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press, 19 Nov. 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mistrust.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of mistrust was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near mistrust
Cite this Entry
“Mistrust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mistrust. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
mistrust
1 of 2 noun
mis·trust
(ˈ)mis-ˈtrəst 
mistrust
2 of 2 verb
More from Merriam-Webster on mistrust
Nglish: Translation of mistrust for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of mistrust for Arabic Speakers
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