mistrust

1 of 2

noun

mis·​trust ˌmis-ˈtrəst How to pronounce mistrust (audio)
: a lack of confidence : distrust
mistrustful adjective
mistrustfully adverb
mistrustfulness noun

mistrust

2 of 2

verb

mistrusted; mistrusting; mistrusts

transitive verb

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 wrongRobert Frost

intransitive verb

: to be suspicious
Choose the Right Synonym for mistrust

uncertainty, doubt, dubiety, skepticism, suspicion, mistrust mean lack of sureness about someone or something.

uncertainty may range from a falling short of certainty to an almost complete lack of conviction or knowledge especially about an outcome or result.

assumed the role of manager without hesitation or uncertainty

doubt suggests both uncertainty and inability to make a decision.

plagued by doubts as to what to do

dubiety stresses a wavering between conclusions.

felt some dubiety about its practicality

skepticism implies unwillingness to believe without conclusive evidence.

an economic forecast greeted with skepticism

suspicion stresses lack of faith in the truth, reality, fairness, or reliability of something or someone.

regarded the stranger with suspicion

mistrust implies a genuine doubt based upon suspicion.

had a great mistrust of doctors

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 Web
Noun
The policy didn't meet all demands from activists but it was still hailed as a victory for transparency on an issue that has played an important role in community mistrust of law enforcement. Elliot Hughes, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 Unsurprisingly, the DeSantis camp — which has a deep mistrust of the press and its tendency to elevate Trump — was especially livid. Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 16 Jan. 2024 At the same hearings, Adam Luck, former chair of the Oklahoma Board of Pardons, shared his own mistrust of the current system. Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Feb. 2024 This is especially true in the case of bottleneck leaders who often create an environment of mistrust due to their micromanagement tendencies, refusal to delegate tasks, lack of transparency in decision making processes or lack of recognition for their team's efforts. Sherzod Odilov, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 In a sweepstakes of mistrust of sorts, the only profession that escaped the slump was labor union leader. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2024 More recently, the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent vaccination efforts reignited discussions around Tuskegee’s impact on medical mistrust. Caitjan Gainty, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Jan. 2024 Data on Asian subgroups can also be harder and more expensive to collect due to language issues and mistrust. Usha Lee McFarling, STAT, 21 Nov. 2023 This generated a sense of mistrust that continues today, with one 2022 survey finding that 77% of Black people nationwide don’t have a will compared to 61% of white people. Amelia Winger, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024
Verb
Journalistic defenders can be trusted to attack and shame anyone who mistrusts the official story. Rich Lowry, National Review, 13 Feb. 2024 But the closing minute of the Investigation Discovery show revealed that Antwon and Cynthia Mans were also growing to mistrust Natalia. Clare Fisher, Peoplemag, 4 Jan. 2024 Given that, the gut response here would be to mistrust the current work. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 8 Mar. 2023 Both add a layer of security to a process in which buyers often mistrust sellers. Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Jan. 2024 Expertise, alone, is insufficient when people mistrust the experts' motives. Amy Maxmen, CBS News, 18 Jan. 2024 Thompson's interview with investigators suggested homicide detectives mistrusted the forensic unit's work as far back as 2001. Sam Kmack, The Arizona Republic, 10 Jan. 2024 The candidate himself, prone to mistrusting his own advisers, did not have a wide enough inner circle to fill both a campaign and super PAC with close allies, leaving the super PAC in the hands of newcomers who clashed with the campaign almost from the start. Nicholas Nehamas, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2023 During the rollercoaster episode, Michael laid the blame for mistrusting and abandoning Natalia on his ex-wife, Kristine, and sobbed for forgiveness, which Natalia eventually gave. Clare Fisher, Peoplemag, 4 Jan. 2024

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 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mistrust

1 of 2 noun
mis·​trust (ˈ)mis-ˈtrəst How to pronounce mistrust (audio)
mistrustful adjective
mistrustfully adverb
mistrustfulness noun

mistrust

2 of 2 verb

More from Merriam-Webster on mistrust

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