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distrust

distrust

58 3.5
A feeling that someone or something cannot be relied on
  • noun
  • /dɪsˈtrʌst/
translation icon : desconfianza
  • And there is a sort of distrust on both sides sometimes.
  • public distrust
  • distrust of government
  • express distrust

And I think a lot of distrust is is good.

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Examples

  • That leads to a huge distrust of institutions.

  • And now we have a lot of distrust around NGOs in general.

  • There is a huge distrust of the justice system.

  • There is a deep, deep distrust among the political class in the UK.

  • Got a healthy distrust for a big government.

  • There was an ongoing public distrust of vaccination as something dangerous.

  • Despite scientists' qualifications, there is almost a sense of distrust towards the scientific community.

    Academic text (2013)
  • I think that there's a lot of distrust in institutions.

  • I think there's also growing distrust in our financial institutions.

  • Many people express a deep distrust of the media's ability to report accurately.

Synonyms

doubt
vsdistrust
1.6

A feeling of not being sure about something

is lack of trust rather than mere uncertainty about facts
skepticism
vsdistrust
  • US
124 5.1

A feeling of doubt about an idea or claim when there is not enough proof

is focused on lack of trust in people or things rather than ideas
little faith
vsdistrust
37 6.4

A feeling of not trusting people or plans much

is the plain absence of trust rather than phrased as low belief
mistrust
vsdistrust
34 4.0

A feeling of not trusting someone or something

is the general absence of trust without added suspicion
misgiving
vsdistrust
27 5.9

A feeling of doubt or worry about whether something will turn out well

is lack of trust in someone or something, not worry about outcome
distrustfulness
vsdistrust
7.5

A feeling of not trusting other people

is the broad lack of trust, not a habitual attitude
doubtfulness
vsdistrust
5.5

A feeling of not being sure about something

is a general lack of trust rather than passive uncertainty

Antonyms

699 1.0

Strong belief that a person or thing is honest and reliable

Compounds

Feeling unable to rely on your own choices or skills

How Distrustful

distrust
58 3.5
suspicion
170 3.0
wariness
6 5.4

Surface Forms

distrust singular
distrusts plural

Morphology

distrust = trust (transparent) = dis + trust

The noun means a lack of trust, which is a straightforward negative formation from 'trust'.

Etymology

Distrust is built from the parts dis- meaning 'not' and trust meaning 'confidence' or 'faith', so it literally means 'not having trust' and describes a lack of confidence in someone or something.