distrust
Lack of faith
Distrust is a lack of trust or confidence in someone or something: She regarded his promises with distrust.
The verb means to doubt the reliability or honesty of: I distrust anyone who won't look me in the eye.
Distrust suggests watchful suspicion—not outright accusation, but unwillingness to extend faith.
Lack of firm belief
- disbeliefRejection of truth claims
- cynicismDistrust of human sincerity
- questioningSeeking answers through inquiry
- incredulityInability to accept something
scrutiny · critical thinking · debunking · second-guessing · fact-checking · verification · cross-examination · due diligence
Deliberate violation of trust
- disloyaltyBreach of allegiance
- deceptionIntentional misleading of others
- backstabbingCovert betrayal of trust
- double-crossTreacherous deception of partner
unfaithfulness · treason · breach · falseness · two-timing · undermining · infidelity · defection
Cautious distrust
- misgivingUneasy feeling of doubt
- uneaseMild persistent worry
- qualmMomentary moral hesitation
- reservationAdvance arrangement to hold
apprehension · guardedness · leery · watchfulness · side-eye · red flag · gut feeling · intuition
State of keen awareness
- prudenceCareful, wise judgment
- circumspectionCareful consideration of consequences
- carefulnessQuality of being thorough
- heedfulnessQuality of being alert
precaution · defensiveness · self-protection · hedging · risk aversion · guarded · calculated · measured
Emotional separation between people
- alienationState of being isolated
- distanceSpace between two points
- coldnessLow temperature state
- riftCrack or estrangement
tension · breakdown · walls · once bitten · fool me twice · track record · credibility · reliability
Authority over a state
- politiciansElected government representatives
- mediaInformation distribution channels
- corporationsLegally incorporated business entities
- banksFinancial institutions or riversides
pharmaceutical · authority · establishment · officials · bureaucracy · system · police · courts
doubt
Lack of firm belief
- disbeliefRejection of truth claims
- cynicismDistrust of human sincerity
- questioningSeeking answers through inquiry
incredulity · scrutiny · critical thinking · debunking · second-guessing · fact-checking · verification · cross-examination · due diligence · vetting
treachery
Deliberate violation of trust
- disloyaltyBreach of allegiance
- deceptionIntentional misleading of others
- backstabbingCovert betrayal of trust
double-cross · unfaithfulness · treason · breach · falseness · two-timing · undermining · infidelity · defection · sellout
wariness
Cautious distrust
reservation · apprehension · guardedness · leery · watchfulness · side-eye · red flag · gut feeling · intuition · hunch
vigilance
State of keen awareness
- prudenceCareful, wise judgment
- circumspectionCareful consideration of consequences
- carefulnessQuality of being thorough
heedfulness · precaution · defensiveness · self-protection · hedging · risk aversion · guarded · calculated · measured · tentative
estrangement
Emotional separation between people
- alienationState of being isolated
- distanceSpace between two points
- coldnessLow temperature state
rift · tension · breakdown · walls · once bitten · fool me twice · track record · credibility · reliability · trustworthiness
government
Authority over a state
- politiciansElected government representatives
- mediaInformation distribution channels
- corporationsLegally incorporated business entities
banks · pharmaceutical · authority · establishment · officials · bureaucracy · system · police · courts · elections
- public opinionpublic opinion, public sentiment, polls, poll, approval
- trust levelsblind faith
- xenophobiaxenophobia, nativism, anti-immigrant, anti-immigration, bigotry
- misanthropymisanthrope, contempt, disdain, loathing, hatred
- Hobbes conceptsself-preservation, fear, competition, glory, social contract
- personality symptomsparanoia, suspiciousness, social isolation, odd beliefs, magical thinking
distrusttrust
Confidence in another
faith · confidence · reliance · have faith in · belief
distrustcertainty
Total absence of doubt
conviction · certitude · surety · sureness · assuredness
distrusttrust
Confidence in another
faith · confidence · security · openness · acceptance
- mutual distrustShared lack of faith
- media distrustSuspicion toward news outlets
- government distrustSuspicion of public authority
distrustful, distrusting, distrusts, distrusted, distrustfully, distruster, distrustfulness