Distrusts

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have a feeling of doubt or suspicion about the reliability or honesty of a person or thing
2. To regard someone or something with skepticism or uncertainty about their trustworthiness
3. To not place confidence in the actions, motives, or truthfulness of an individual or object

Etymology: "Distrusts" is the third-person singular present form of "distrust," so it is the verb's form used with "he," "she," or "it." The verb itself is built from the prefix "dis-," meaning reversal or absence, and "trust." Its more surprising history is that the prefix was not always there. The older term was "wantrust," meaning lack of trust, in which "want" carried its older sense of lacking or being without. Over time "wantrust" was altered into "distrust," with the familiar "dis-" prefix replacing "want" and making the sense of reversal explicit.

Synonyms: mistrusts, doubts, suspicion, disbelieves, skeptical

Antonyms: trusts, believes, confides, relies, accepts