distrust

Universal Words noun, verb noun [U,sing.] ~ (of sb/sth) a feeling of not being able to trust sb/sth: They looked at each other with distrust. * He has a deep distrust of all modern technology. distrustful adjective: distrustful of authority verb [VN] to feel that you cannot trust or believe sb/sth: She distrusted his motives for wanting to see her again. compareMISTRUST ______________________________ WHICHWORD? distrust / mistrust There is very little difference between these two words, but distrust is more common and perhaps slightly stronger. If you are sure that someone is acting dishonestly or cannot be relied on, you are more likely to say that you distrust them. If you are expressing doubts and suspicions, on the other hand, you would probably use mistrust. ______________________________