What does mistrust mean?
Mistrust is a lack of trust in another person, group, institution, or claim. As a noun, it names a settled suspicion that someone is dishonest, incompetent, or likely to act against one’s interests. As a verb, it describes the act of withholding trust: officials may mistrust a witness, communities may mistrust a company, or readers may mistrust a statistic. The word is more forceful than ordinary uncertainty. Doubt can simply reflect missing information, whereas mistrust implies a judgment that another party cannot be relied upon. For that reason, it often appears in discussions of politics, business, medicine, and institutions, where confidence and credibility matter. Mistrust can damage relationships because it encourages defensiveness, reduces cooperation, and makes reassurance less persuasive. Yet it can also be a reasonable response to deception, inconsistency, or misuse of power. Unlike the warmer trust, mistrust is cold and wary in tone. Understanding the word helps distinguish healthy caution from deep, corrosive suspicion, while recognizing that repeated evidence of bad faith can make suspicion entirely justified.
A lack or absence of trust or confidence in a person, institution, or claim, especially when accompanied by suspicion or an expectation of bad faith.
"The unexplained withdrawals deepened the staff’s mistrust of the director."
Usually uncountable, although the plural “mistrusts” is occasionally used for separate expressions or acts of mistrust.
To regard someone or something with suspicion or to refuse to place confidence or reliance in it.
"Consumers began to mistrust brands that made unverifiable environmental claims."
Used both transitively and intransitively; it often describes a response to perceived dishonesty, inconsistency, or unreliability.
The plural is rare because the noun is normally used in the uncountable sense; it may refer to separate expressions or acts of mistrust.
"The investigation revealed two separate mistrusts of the proposal, one among staff and another among residents."
Add “mis-” to “trust” and confidence becomes suspicion—one of English’s most economical warnings.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mistrust come from?
Mistrust is an English compound formed in the Middle English period from the prefix mis-, meaning “wrongly” or “badly,” and trust. Its early sense was to doubt or refuse to rely on someone, giving rise to the modern noun and verb. Cognates in other Germanic languages include Danish mistro, Swedish misstro, and German Misstrauen; related English formations built on the same trust root include trustworthy, untrustworthy, and trustless.
Related word forms
How mistrust is actually used
Generally neutral and formal, though it often has a stronger and more distrustful tone than doubt. It is common in political, institutional, legal, and business contexts, with no major British–American difference. As a verb, it can be transitive, as in “mistrust a source,” or intransitive, as in “mistrust motives.”
Easily confused with mistrust
Both can express doubts about a person or organization, though distrust often foregrounds a judgment about reliability or honesty, whereas mistrust often foregrounds wary feelings about motives or intentions.