distrust
C1Formal, neutral
Definition
Meaning
A feeling of doubt or suspicion about the honesty, reliability, or intentions of someone or something; the act of not trusting.
A skeptical or cautious attitude towards systems, information, or processes; a general sense of uncertainty about the truthfulness or safety of a situation.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Implies a specific, justified lack of trust, often based on evidence or past experience, rather than a general state of paranoia. It can function as both a noun and a verb.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in core meaning, spelling, or usage. Both treat it as a noun or verb identically.
Connotations
Slightly more formal in everyday speech in both varieties. Equally common in political, business, and social commentary.
Frequency
Frequency is comparable. 'Mistrust' is a near-synonym used with equal frequency in both dialects, though 'distrust' may be marginally more common in formal writing.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
distrust Ndistrust in/of Nview N with distrusthave a deep distrust of NVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Take with a grain of salt (related concept of skepticism)”
- “Look a gift horse in the mouth (related to suspicion of offers)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used to describe stakeholder or market sentiment: 'The merger failed due to mutual distrust between the management teams.'
Academic
Common in social sciences discussing institutions, media, or public policy: 'The study measured public distrust in scientific authorities.'
Everyday
Used in personal relationships or opinions about organisations: 'I have a deep distrust of get-rich-quick schemes.'
Technical
Used in cybersecurity or systems engineering: 'The protocol is designed on a principle of zero-trust, or inherent distrust of all nodes.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The electorate increasingly distrusts politicians' promises.
- She distrusted his motives from the very start.
American English
- Many voters distrust the media's coverage.
- I deeply distrust that company's privacy policy.
adverb
British English
- He watched the proceedings distrustfully.
- She glanced distrustfully at the contract.
American English
- The customer looked distrustfully at the salesperson.
- He listened distrustfully to their excuses.
adjective
British English
- He gave her a deeply distrustful glance.
- The negotiations took place in a distrustful atmosphere.
American English
- She was distrustful of strangers after the incident.
- A distrustful public is hard to govern.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The scandal created a lot of public distrust.
- I distrust people who are never late.
- There is a distrust of new technology among older residents.
- A legacy of corruption has bred deep distrust in the institution.
- The two communities viewed each other with profound distrust.
- Investors often distrust markets during periods of high volatility.
- The philosophical treatise explores the epistemic roots of societal distrust.
- His policy proposals were met with thinly veiled distrust by the opposition benches.
- The agreement foundered on the mutual distrust that had festered for decades.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
DIS + TRUST. Think: DISconnect TRUST. You are disconnecting your trust from someone/something.
Conceptual Metaphor
DISTRUST IS A BARRIER/WALL (e.g., 'a wall of distrust', 'bridging the distrust'), DISTRUST IS A POISON (e.g., 'distrust poisoned their relationship').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating directly as 'не доверять' in every instance; for the noun, use 'недоверие', not 'недоверчивость' (which is closer to 'distrustfulness' or a character trait).
Common Mistakes
- Confusing 'distrust' (focus on specific instance/object) with 'mistrust' (often more general or instinctive). Using 'distrust' as an adjective (*'a distrust person') instead of 'distrustful'. Incorrect preposition: 'distrust for' instead of 'distrust of/in'.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the LEAST likely synonym for 'distrust' in a formal context?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
They are largely interchangeable. Some subtle distinctions exist: 'Distrust' often implies a stronger, more reasoned, or evidence-based suspicion, while 'mistrust' can suggest a more general, instinctive, or vague unease. However, this distinction is not consistently observed.
No. The adjective form is 'distrustful'. You would say 'a distrustful person', not 'a distrust person'.
The most common prepositions are 'of' and 'in': 'distrust of politicians', 'distrust in the system'. 'For' is sometimes used but is less standard.
Yes, generally. 'Scepticism' implies a questioning, wait-and-see attitude and can be neutral or even positive. 'Distrust' implies a more settled negative judgement and a withholding of trust.