distrusted; distrusting; distrusts
: to have no trust or confidence in
Synonyms
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
Ryan Owens and James V. Shuls, Orlando Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2025
His chest-thumping, cascade of worrying legislation during one-man rule, attacks on the private sector, infighting and the growing distrust within the PHTK political party over his successor and own personal involvement with corrupt individuals created a perfect storm.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025
Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
Conditioned by partisan commentary to anticipate such corruption, many voters may come to distrust the official vote count, suspecting fraud in the voting rolls, including voting by noncitizens or even by the deceased.
—Jenna Bednar, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for distrust 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Taken together, fully 50.2% of Floridians point to left-leaning politics as a source of distrust in K-12 schools.
—Ryan Owens and James V. Shuls, Orlando Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2025
His chest-thumping, cascade of worrying legislation during one-man rule, attacks on the private sector, infighting and the growing distrust within the PHTK political party over his successor and own personal involvement with corrupt individuals created a perfect storm.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025
Verb
This means that fact checking, even though far from censorship, can inadvertently reinforce false beliefs rather than dispel them as people don't really seek the truth, making people more likely to distrust the media and deepen their attachment to conspiracies.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
Conditioned by partisan commentary to anticipate such corruption, many voters may come to distrust the official vote count, suspecting fraud in the voting rolls, including voting by noncitizens or even by the deceased.
—Jenna Bednar, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for distrust
Dictionary Entries Near distrust
Cite this Entry
“Distrust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distrust. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share