distrust
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the feeling that someone or something is not honest or safe.
n.a state of lacking confidence or trust in someone or something; a feeling of suspicion.
Simple“There is a deep distrust of the government among the local people.”
In context“The long history of broken promises created a climate of mutual distrust that made further negotiations almost impossible.”
PitfallI have a distrust for him. I have a distrust of him.The noun 'distrust' is usually followed by the preposition 'of'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to feel that you cannot rely on someone or that they are lying to you.
v.to regard with suspicion or to lack confidence in the integrity or reliability of a person or entity.
Simple“She began to distrust his excuses after he lied to her twice.”
In context“Investors began to distrust the company's financial reports after several high-level executives resigned without explanation.”
“Fifty-seven percent also expressed distrust in the national government.”
“They also said they would be more likely to avoid, distrust or block that person.”
From dis- + trust, alteration of the earlier term wantrust.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.