Meaning & use

distrust

noun·Academic

A lack of trust or confidence in someone or something, often based on suspicion.

See it in a sentence

Years of broken promises created deep distrust between the two neighboring countries.

Her instinctive distrust of strangers made her cautious during the trip abroad.

A note on using this word

Distrust implies active suspicion based on past experience, while mere doubt can arise without any specific reason.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Another way to use it

2. verb

To regard someone or something with suspicion and lack of confidence.

Voters began to distrust the mayor after the scandal broke in the local news.

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