What is the word for not trusting others

What is a word for not trusting?

type of: doubt, doubtfulness, dubiety, dubiousness, incertitude, uncertainty. the state of being unsure of something. noun. the trait of not trusting others. synonyms: distrustfulness, mistrust.

What is another word for distrust?

What is another word for distrust?

suspicion mistrust
skepticismUS unbelief
uncertainty discredit
incredulity incredulousness
leeriness qualm

Is the word distrust a verb?

To distrust is “to regard with doubt or suspicion; have no trust in.” This verb—if we want parse subtle differences in usage or connotation—can express a lack of trust stemming from a specific experience or certain knowledge.

What is another word for trust issues?

What is another word for trust issues?

lack of trust caginess
chariness cynicism
distrust mistrust
suspicion wariness

How do you describe a person with trust issues?

Trust issues are characterized by fears of betrayal, abandonment, and manipulation. Many of us have these feelings—whether we have trouble trusting our boyfriends and girlfriends, or our parental figures, or even our doctors.

What do you call a person who trusts easily?

credulous Add to list Share. Credulous comes from the 16th-century Latin credulus, or “easily believes.” A synonym for credulous is gullible, and both terms describe a person who accepts something willingly without a lot of supporting facts.

What is it called when you depend on someone?

dependant Add to list Share. A dependant is someone who relies on someone else, possibly for financial support. You’ll most often find this spelling in British English, where it’s favored (or favoured!) in using the word as a noun. Either way, this word has to do with reliance.

What does egregious mean in English?

1 : conspicuous especially : conspicuously bad : flagrant egregious errors egregious padding of the evidence — Christopher Hitchens. 2 archaic : distinguished.

What is egregious behavior?

In a legal context, the term egregious refers to actions or behaviors that are staggeringly bad, or obviously wrong, beyond any reasonable degree. The term is commonly used to describe conduct of a person, whether a party to a legal action, an attorney or other legal professional, or the court.

How do you use egregious?

Egregious sentence example Egregious errors were caused by the tablet’s failure to check spelling. It was the most egregious act the government has ever perpetrated. The egregious mistake these couples made was not spending enough time seriously planning for a lifetime together in marriage.

What is an egregious fact?

extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant: an egregious mistake; an egregious liar.

Is egregious good or bad?

Something that is egregious stands out, but not in a good way — it means “really bad or offensive.” If you make an egregious error during a championship soccer match, your coach might bench you for the rest of the game. An egregious error is so bad that it might not be forgivable.

What is egregious abuse?

Egregious Acts of Animal Abuse. Intentionally poking of a stick, electric prod, or other object into a sensitive part of the animal such as the eye, nose, mouth, ear, rectum, or udder. Cutting off limbs, skinning, or scalding an animal that shows any sign of return to sensibility.

What is considered egregious conduct?

1) conduct giving rise to enhanced damages is “egregious” conduct, defined to include “willful, wanton, malicious, bad-faith, deliberate, consciously wrongful” or “flagrant” behavior – “garden variety” infringement, however, is not enough to warrant a finding.

What does Egregariously mean?

[ adjective ] conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible.

Can a person be egregious?

The definition of egregious is extraordinary, but in a negative way. An example of egregious is a person who is a fantastic liar. Outrageously bad; shocking.

What does arrogation mean?

1 : the watering of land by artificial means to foster plant growth. 2 : the therapeutic flushing of a body part with a stream of liquid.

What is a nefarious activity?

If you describe an activity as nefarious, you mean that it is wicked and immoral.

What does nebulous mean?

1 : of, relating to, or resembling a nebula : nebular. 2 : indistinct, vague … this nebulous thing called jazz. — Josef Woodard … the nebulous region between mere suspicion and probable cause— W. R.

What’s the opposite of nefarious?

Opposite of villainous, criminal or wicked in nature or behavior. reputable. sound. trustworthy. upright.

What does uncouth mean in English?

1a : awkward and uncultivated in appearance, manner, or behavior : rude. b : lacking in polish and grace : rugged uncouth verse. c : strange or clumsy in shape or appearance : outlandish.

Can a person be nefarious?

nefarious Add to list Share. Describe a person’s actions as nefarious if they are evil or wicked. Batman and Superman are always fighting evildoers and stopping their nefarious plots. Nefarious comes from the Latin nefas “crime, impiety.” If something is nefarious, it is criminal, evil, malicious and wicked.

What does admirable mean in English?

1 : deserving the highest esteem : excellent an admirable achievement. 2 obsolete : exciting wonder : surprising.

What type of word is admirable?

adjective. worthy of admiration; inspiring approval, reverence, or affection. excellent; first-rate.

What makes something admirable?

The definition of admirable is someone or something with positive characteristics worthy of adoration, love or respect. Inspiring or deserving admiration or praise; excellent; splendid.

What’s another word for inspiring?

What is another word for inspiring?

inspirational rousing
stirring moving
stimulating uplifting
encouraging exciting
exhilarating motivating

How do you describe someone who is inspirational?

An inspirational person is a person of influence that enlightens, uplifts and encourages others. Hi robjen, I agree with Joyce Margaret, that an inspirational person would be “a person of influence that enlightens, uplifts and encourages others”.

How do you describe inspirational?

Inspire means to excite, encourage, or breathe life into. Inspire comes from the Latin word that means to inflame or to blow in to. When you inspire something, it is as if you are blowing air over a low flame to make it grow. A film can be inspired by a true story.

What is a word for not trusting?

by
Alex Heath

·
2019-01-10

What is a word for not trusting?

type of: doubt, doubtfulness, dubiety, dubiousness, incertitude, uncertainty. the state of being unsure of something. noun. the trait of not trusting others. synonyms: distrustfulness, mistrust.

What is another word for distrust?

What is another word for distrust?

suspicion mistrust
skepticismUS unbelief
uncertainty discredit
incredulity incredulousness
leeriness qualm

Is the word distrust a verb?

To distrust is “to regard with doubt or suspicion; have no trust in.” This verb—if we want parse subtle differences in usage or connotation—can express a lack of trust stemming from a specific experience or certain knowledge.

What is another word for trust issues?

What is another word for trust issues?

lack of trust caginess
chariness cynicism
distrust mistrust
suspicion wariness

How do you describe a person with trust issues?

Trust issues are characterized by fears of betrayal, abandonment, and manipulation. Many of us have these feelings—whether we have trouble trusting our boyfriends and girlfriends, or our parental figures, or even our doctors.

What do you call a person who trusts easily?

credulous Add to list Share. Credulous comes from the 16th-century Latin credulus, or “easily believes.” A synonym for credulous is gullible, and both terms describe a person who accepts something willingly without a lot of supporting facts.

What is it called when you depend on someone?

dependant Add to list Share. A dependant is someone who relies on someone else, possibly for financial support. You’ll most often find this spelling in British English, where it’s favored (or favoured!) in using the word as a noun. Either way, this word has to do with reliance.

What is it called when you can count on someone?

In this page you can discover 27 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for count on, like: rely on, place trust in, place reliance on, depend on, trust, figure, forecast, depend upon, take on trust, trust in and estimate.

Can you count on someone?

to depend on someone or expect something: You can always count on Michael in a crisis.

What is the phrasal verb of count on?

Phrasal Verb – Count on. Meaning – To depend on someone or something. If you count on something happening you hope or expect that it will happen. If you count on somebody you know you can trust them or rely on them.

Do not count on me meaning?

(count on someone) to depend on someone to do what you want or expect them to do for you. The whole team was counting on me, and I let them down. count on someone for something: You can always count on him for good advice.

What does engaged mean?

1 : involved in activity : occupied, busy. 2 : pledged to be married : betrothed.

What is the meaning of melodramatic?

English Language Learners Definition of melodramatic often disapproving : emotional in a way that is very extreme or exaggerated : extremely dramatic or emotional. See the full definition for melodramatic in the English Language Learners Dictionary. melodramatic. adjective. melo·​dra·​mat·​ic | ˌme-lə-drə-ˈma-tik

What is embrace mean?

1 : a close encircling with the arms and pressure to the chest especially as a sign of affection : hug. 2 : grip, encirclement in the embrace of terror. 3 : acceptance her embrace of new ideas.

Can Embrace mean kiss?

Embrace is from the French verb embrasser, which started out meaning “to clasp in the arms” (but now includes kissing). You embrace someone by giving her a giant hug, and when you embrace a new idea, it’s like your brain gives it a hug.

What kind of word is embrace?

verb (used with object), em·braced, em·brac·ing. to take or clasp in the arms; press to the bosom; hug. to take or receive gladly or eagerly; accept willingly: to embrace an idea.

How do you use the word Embrace?

  1. His embrace was warm and exciting.
  2. Embrace it like a new born child.
  3. He was about to embrace his friend, but Nicholas avoided him.
  4. The three stood in an embrace , Sarah crying.
  5. She melted in his embrace , returning his hungry kiss.
  6. It was time for him to embrace it.

What is a sentence for gratitude?

We would like to express our deep gratitude for your generous support. I extend gratitude to my parents for their love and support. My heart, too, was full of gratitude and solemn joy. She offered me gratitude for the help I gave her in Denmark.

What does it mean to embrace an idea?

If you embrace a change, political system, or idea, you accept it and start supporting it or believing in it.

Is embracement a word?

A ready taking up of something: adoption, espousal.

What means embrace yourself?

It means to accept who you are and be happy with that.

What is the meaning of embarrassing?

: causing a feeling of self-conscious confusion and distress : causing embarrassment an embarrassing error The official was ever so polite, and ever so sorry, but the rule was strict, and he could not let us in.

What the most embarrassing?

One of the most embarrassing moments anyone can go through may consist when tripping while you are walking up the stairs. I can’t tell you how many times I have been walking up the stairs in high school or even in my own house, and the slight slip of my foot would cause my heart to drop.

What does exaggerate mean?

1 : to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth : overstate a friend exaggerates a man’s virtues— Joseph Addison. 2 : to enlarge or increase especially beyond the normal : overemphasize. intransitive verb. : to make an overstatement. Other Words from exaggerate Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About exaggerate.

What means embarrassing moment?

1. embarrassing – hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment; “awkward (or embarrassing or difficult) moments in the discussion”; “an awkward pause followed his remark”; “a sticky question”; “in the unenviable position of resorting to an act he had planned to save for the climax of the campaign”

What does ignominious mean?

1 : humiliating, degrading an ignominious defeat. 2 : deserving of shame or infamy : despicable. 3 : marked with or characterized by disgrace or shame : dishonorable.

What does metaphor mean?

A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison.

What type of word is exaggerated?

verb (used with object), ex·ag·ger·at·ed, ex·ag·ger·at·ing. to magnify beyond the limits of truth; overstate; represent disproportionately: to exaggerate the difficulties of a situation. to increase or enlarge abnormally: Those shoes exaggerate the size of my feet.

Some common synonyms of mistrust are doubt, dubiety, skepticism, suspicion, and uncertainty. While all these words mean « lack of sureness about someone or something, » mistrust implies a genuine doubt based upon suspicion.

What is a word for not trusting someone? synonyms: misgiving, mistrust, suspicion. type of: doubt, doubtfulness, dubiety, dubiousness, incertitude, uncertainty. the state of being unsure of something. the trait of not trusting others. synonyms: distrustfulness, mistrust.

Similarly, What is Sceptical person? noun. a person who questions the validity or authenticity of something purporting to be factual. a person who maintains a doubting attitude, as toward values, plans, statements, or the character of others.

What do you call a skeptical person?

someone who habitually doubts accepted beliefs. synonyms: doubter, sceptic.

What is a synonym for do not believe?

unbelieving

  • agnostic.
  • cynical.
  • disbelieving.
  • distrustful.
  • doubtful.
  • doubting.
  • dubious.
  • freethinking.

What does barren woman mean?

Definition of barren

(Entry 1 of 2) 1 : not reproducing: such as. a : incapable of producing offspring —used especially of females or matings barren women. b : not yet or not recently pregnant.

What do you call someone who questions everything? One who questions everything : Cynic.

How do you call a doubtful person? Synonyms & Antonyms of doubtful

  1. distrustful,
  2. dubious,
  3. hinky.
  4. [slang],
  5. mistrustful,
  6. skeptical,
  7. suspicious,
  8. trustless,

Is it skeptical or Sceptical?

Skeptic is the preferred spelling in American and Canadian English, and sceptic is preferred in the main varieties of English from outside North America. This extends to all derivatives, including sceptical/skeptical and scepticism/skepticism.

What means receptacle? Definition of receptacle

1 : one that receives and contains something : container. 2 [New Latin receptaculum, from Latin] a : the end of the flower stalk upon which the floral organs are borne.

What do you call a person who trusts easily?

gullible. adjective. a gullible person is easy to trick because they trust and believe people too easily.

What is it called when you can trust someone? adjective. able to be trusted as being honest, safe, or reliable.

What’s the word for not being able to have kids?

Someone who’s infertile isn’t able to have children. Plants and animals, as well as humans, are sometimes infertile and can’t reproduce naturally. … Infertile is a French word, from the Latin infertilis, « unfruitful, » from the roots in-, « not, » and fertilis, « bearing in abundance. »

Is barren a bad word?

The word ‘barren’ is thought of as deeply negative. Describe a woman who is yet to have kids as barren and you’d probably get a mouthful of abuse or a slap in return.

Can a barren woman get pregnant? Some can block fallopian tubes or interfere with implantation, affecting fertility. However, many women who have fibroids or polyps do become pregnant. Problems with the uterus present from birth, such as an unusually shaped uterus, can cause problems becoming or remaining pregnant.

Which Cannot be read is called?

Illegible: not clear enough to be read.

What do you call a person who keeps asking questions?

I would say: Most inquisitive: Merriam-Webster: 1 : given to examination or investigation. 2 : inclined to ask questions, especially : inordinately or improperly curious about the affairs of others.

What do you call someone who is not afraid to ask questions? Unafraid – Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com.

How would you describe a person who doubts what we tell him/her *?

Depending on context, possibly, a “doubter”, a “non believer”, “skeptic”, “realist”, “scaredy cat”, “pessimist” or a “paranoid” person. Also slang like “a tough sale”, could work.

What do you call a person that doesn’t believe in themselves? Definition of agnostic

(Entry 1 of 2) 1 : a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (such as God) is unknown and probably unknowable broadly : one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god.

How do you deal with a doubtful person?

6 Tips For Dealing With People Who Doubt Your Ability To Succeed

  1. Talk to the « man in the mirror. » …
  2. Remain positive and confident. …
  3. Hear your haters, but pay them no mind. …
  4. Get back up after every fall. …
  5. Give them a reason to believe in you. …
  6. Don’t surround yourself with too many skeptics.

What is the difference between scepticism and skepticism? Skepticism broadens the view of the eye and gives the capability to challenge the rights and the wrongs. Skepticism (American English) or scepticism (British English) is generally any questioning attitude or doubt towards one or more items of putative knowledge or belief.

What is the difference between a skeptic and a cynic?

The Associated Press Stylebook has a simple differentiation: “A skeptic is a doubter. A cynic is a disbeliever.” The next step after “cynicism” is becoming “jaded.” Where “cynics” might be sneering and actively doubting something, people who are “jaded” are just so exhausted that they have become apathetic.

What is the meaning of Septacal? /ˈskep.tɪ.kəl/ C2. doubting that something is true or useful: Many experts remain sceptical about/of his claims. I’m a bit sceptical about his chances of success.

Discover

Table of Contents

  1. Which word is correct distrust or mistrust?
  2. What’s a definition for mistrust?
  3. What are examples of mistrust?
  4. Is mistrust and distrust the same?
  5. What word suggests a feeling of distrust?
  6. What is Sceptical person?
  7. Is there a word called mistrust?
  8. What is a sentence for the word mistrust?
  9. How will you differentiate the basic trust and mistrust?
  10. What is a synonym for cynical?
  11. What does the word scepticism mean?
  12. Is it mistrust or distrust?
  13. What is another word for “lack of trust”?
  14. What is another word for distrust?

According to all dictionaries, “distrust” is used when referring to not trusting someone or something; whereas “mistrust” refers to the same concept, the same feeling of not believing or having confidence in something or somebody.

Which word is correct distrust or mistrust?

According to all dictionaries, “distrust” is used when referring to not trusting someone or something; whereas “mistrust” refers to the same concept, the same feeling of not believing or having confidence in something or somebody.

What’s a definition for mistrust?

transitive verb. 1 : to have no trust or confidence in : suspect mistrusted his neighbors. 2 : to doubt the truth, validity, or effectiveness of mistrusted his own judgment. 3 : surmise your mind mistrusted there was something wrong— Robert Frost.

What are examples of mistrust?

Lack of trust or confidence. I viewed the stranger’s advice with mistrust. To regard without trust or confidence. He mistrusted his lieutenant.

Is mistrust and distrust the same?

In their noun forms, distrust and mistrust are essentially interchangeable. We define the noun distrust as “a lack of trust; doubt; suspicion.” And we define mistrust, the noun as “lack of trust or confidence; distrust.” When the dictionary defines mistrust as distrust?

What word suggests a feeling of distrust?

misgiving. The definition of a misgiving is a feeling of doubt or distrust about something.

What is Sceptical person?

noun. a person who questions the validity or authenticity of something purporting to be factual. a person who maintains a doubting attitude, as toward values, plans, statements, or the character of others.

Is there a word called mistrust?

lack of trust or confidence; distrust. to regard with mistrust, suspicion, or doubt; distrust.

What is a sentence for the word mistrust?

1. He had a deep mistrust of the legal profession. 2. His charm is undeniable, but I still mistrust him.

How will you differentiate the basic trust and mistrust?

Mistrust refers to a lack of confidence. Trust is spelled with many of the same letters as the word true, so it should be easy to remember what this word means.

What is a synonym for cynical?

Frequently Asked Questions About cynical The words misanthropic and pessimistic are common synonyms of cynical. While all three words mean “deeply distrustful,” cynical implies having a sneering disbelief in sincerity or integrity.

What does the word scepticism mean?

1 : an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or toward a particular object. 2a : the doctrine that true knowledge or knowledge in a particular area is uncertain. b : the method of suspended judgment, systematic doubt, or criticism characteristic of skeptics.

Is it mistrust or distrust?

Distrust is a complete lack of trust, and it’s often based on experience. Mistrust is a general lack of trust or confidence, sometimes based on instinct. Both words can be used as either verbs or nouns. As adjectives, they’re distrustful and mistrustful, respectively. Distrust tends to be used far more frequently than mistrust.

What is another word for “lack of trust”?

Lack Of Trust synonyms. Top synonyms for lack of trust (other words for lack of trust) are sus, nonconfidence and loss of trust – Page 2.

What is another word for distrust?

Another word for distrust. Another word for distrust word list. Below are a number of words whose meaning is similar to distrust. disbelieve. discredit. doubt. mistrust. not rely upon.

If you’ve ever thought, «I don’t trust people,» there’s a strong chance you struggle with trust issues. Sometimes people might use this phrase to indicate a lack of trust for people they don’t know well, but in other cases, it might suggest a more serious difficulty when it comes to trusting anyone at all.

Feeling like you can’t trust anyone can make navigating interpersonal relationships challenging. While you might want to form deep, close connections with other people, you might find yourself holding yourself back from fully trusting even those closest to you.

This article discusses what it means when you don’t trust other people, what causes such problems, and what you can do to develop more trusting relationships.

What It Means to Not Trust People

When you trust someone, it means that you believe they are dependable, reliable, and honest. A certain amount of trust is necessary for relationships. But trusting other people is not always easy, and the closer the relationship is, and the more you have to reveal yourself, the harder it can be.

Trust doesn’t just involve believing that others are reliable. It also means making yourself vulnerable and believing that others will live up to your expectations and act with good intentions. That can be a big ask, and not everyone is prepared or willing to accept the risk of making themselves vulnerable.

A lack of generalized trust can play a role in not being able to trust people. Generalized trust involves your ability to trust other members of society.

This type of trust plays an important part in social functioning and creating a sense of community. Research has found that it has positive benefits, including better self-rated health and happiness.

How Trusting Are You?

  • Do you often question people’s intentions?
  • Do you frequently assume the worst about people?
  • Do you assume that others will let you down?
  • Do you distance yourself from others to avoid disappointment?
  • Do you have a hard time asking other people for help?

If you answered yes to many or most of these questions, you may have difficulty trusting people.

Reasons You Don’t Trust People

Research suggests that a lack of trust is often caused by social experiences. Relationships with family members and peers, for example, give you opportunities to trust and depend on the people close to you.

When those people aren’t trustworthy, or if you have an experience where your trust is repeatedly broken, you may end up feeling like the people around you are fundamentally unreliable.

According to the social learning perspective, people are continually adjusting their degree of social trust based on their experiences and interactions. In addition to your early learning experiences as a child, the events of your life continue to impact how much you trust others. Some of the reasons you might have a hard time trusting people include:

Early Childhood Experiences

Trust starts to form in the earliest days of life as infants discover whether they can rely on their parents and others’ care. The psychoanalyst Erik Erikson called this phase of life the trust vs. mistrust stage, and he believed it plays a pivotal role in setting the course of future development.

People who grow up with supportive, trustworthy family members and friends may be more likely to trust others in adulthood than people who don’t have healthy relationships in their lives.

Important people in your life can affect trust levels throughout your lifetime. If you trust the people around you, it’s more likely that trust will reciprocate trust, and you’ll grow closer to them. However, if trust is broken, you may find yourself trusting less in the future.

Bullying or Rejection

Throughout your life, your interpersonal and social experiences affect the trust you place in others. Bullying or social rejection can both contribute to trust issues as a child. If those around you repeatedly hurt you, it may be difficult to trust people as an adult because of the fear that you’ll be hurt again.

Negative Relationship Experiences

Unhealthy romantic relationships can also make it tough to trust people. For example, an emotionally abusive partner might make it difficult for you to trust other people in the future because of the fear that they’ll hurt or take advantage of you.

Trauma or PTSD

Mental health conditions or traumatic events can also contribute to trust issues because they affect how you see yourself and your relationships with others. For example, trust issues may manifest as a symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Personality

Certain personality traits might contribute to a general lack of trust in others. For example, people who tend to rate higher on the characteristic known as neuroticism may be less likely to trust other people. 

Research also suggests that a characteristic known as locus of control can play a role in trusting people. Locus of control is your belief about how much control you have over the events that occur in your life.

People with a low (or external) locus of control believe that what happens to them is largely out of their control. Those with a high (or internal) locus of control tend to believe that their fate is largely in their own hands.

In one study, people who had a strong internal locus of control were less likely to follow humans and AI technology advice.

Recap

Not being able to trust people can be linked to a number of factors. Early childhood experiences, social experiences, adult relationships, personality factors, and mental health conditions can all play a role in undermining trust in other people.

Effects of Not Trusting People

When trust is broken, it often becomes harder to put your faith in people in the future. However, trust issues could also hurt you in the long run because they prevent you from connecting with others or receiving support when you need it.

Not being able to trust people can affect your friendships and romantic relationships, so if trust is an issue for you, consider talking to a therapist about these problems. A mental health professional can help by teaching you how to trust others and form healthy relationships with them.

Not being able to trust others doesn’t just affect your behavior; it can also negatively impact how other people respond to you. 

Research has shown that other people are more likely to respond with more negativity when they know that you don’t trust them. In one study, people who knew that others didn’t trust them felt more negative emotions, had lower opinions of those who didn’t trust them and were less like to behave in altruistic ways toward those who couldn’t trust them.

This can also affect how people are willing to act in social situations. When you don’t trust people, you may be less likely to interact with them. The consequence of this is often fewer social opportunities, fewer relationships, less social support, and ultimately, fewer chances for other people to earn your trust.

Recap

When you don’t trust people, you have a more difficult time forming relationships with others. And when other people sense that you don’t trust them, they are often more likely to respond to you in negative ways.

How to Start Trusting People Again

Even if you find it hard to trust people, some strategies may help you learn how to form better relationships and become more trusting in different situations.

Start Small

Look for small ways to trust people. Trust is always a matter of degree. You might trust some people with some things but not with others.

A good way to become more trusting is to push yourself to trust other people in small doses until you can trust something more significant. Once someone proves themselves capable of earning your trust when it comes to the small stuff, you might find yourself more comfortable depending on them even more.

Stay Positive

Try to be optimistic about others. Start with the belief that there are good people out there. Approaching social situations with an open mind and optimistic mindset may help you feel less distrustful of people in general.

Trust Carefully

If you trust too easily, you may find yourself dealing with disappointment. So start by learning to trust people to the degree that the situation calls for it.

In many cases, this might involve a more superficial trust based on a mutually agreed-upon set of expectations. You trust your mechanic to fix your car, and they trust you to pay them for the work they have done. In other cases, you may find that some people have proven themselves dependable, honest, and worthy of your trust.

Using caution and varying your level of trust depending on the closeness of the relationship is good practice.

Talk to a Therapist

If your lack of trust in people affects your ability to function normally or is causing distress, you should consider talking to a mental health professional. Several different therapy approaches can help you work on underlying negative thoughts that might be affecting your ability to trust.

A therapist can also help you practice social situations and develop new coping skills that may be helpful when it comes to learning how to trust people. Also, the therapeutic relationship with your therapist can also be an excellent opportunity to learn and practice trusting another person.

Recap

Learning to trust people again can take some time. Start small, maintain an optimistic mindset, and talking to a mental health professional are all strategies that can be helpful.

A Word From Verywell

Feeling like you don’t trust people can hurt your ability to form relationships, get help when you need it, and participate fully in your community. While it is normal for your trust levels to vary depending on your social experiences, a significant lack of trust might be a sign of a more serious problem. 

If trust issues are causing problems in your life, talk to a therapist about taking steps to begin relying on people more. Rebuilding your trust in people may take time. It also requires a certain degree of vulnerability. But learning to trust can make it easier to connect with others, form strong relationships, and create a solid social support system.

by Andrea M. Darcy

Trust is a word we can throw around so easily. “I don’t trust anyone”. “Why should I trust you?”. “You have to trust yourself before you can trust others”.

But what IS trust, really? And why does it matter so much when it comes to emotional wellbeing?

What is trust?

It’s a massive concept, with definitions that change depending on the discipline it is being defined within. And in psychology?

Morton Deutsch, one of the founders of conflict resolution, was one of the first psychologists to attempt defining trust. He at one point called it “confidence that an individual will find what is desired from another, rather than what is feared.

More recently, psychologists at Cornell university in America questioned if trust really was about positive expectation or if it was really just a social norm. Trusting others is what we think we should do.

Perhaps trust is a bit of both – a belief and a learned behaviour. What is certain is that trust is a human impulse for survival, as well as the driving force that keeps us moving forward in life.

Erik Erikson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning developmental psychologist known for his theory of ‘psychosocial stages’, named the first stage of life as ‘trust vs. mistrust’, offering the virtue of ‘hope’. From birth to 18 months we develop trust for our main caregiver.

Am I in a healthy relationship quiz

Studies consistently show that if this trust for another does not evolve when we are infants, and we miss this development, we grow up with feelings of fear instead, and a sense the world is a dangerous place void of real hope.

Other components of trust

As well as confidence, hope, and expectation, what are other ingredients of trust? Jeffrey A. Simpson, in his paper “Psychological Foundations of Trust“, alludes to the following:

Feelings of vulnerability.

Trust involves risk. You put a desired outcome into another person’s hands, and this means you are making yourself vulnerable and might feel worry and fear.

Co-operation and Compromise.

Trust involves believing and expecting others will do things for your wellbeing, sometimes missing out on what they wanted for themselves in order to maintain the trust within the relationship. Of course they trust that you want them to be happy, too, and will also compromise occasionally for the wellbeing of the relationship itself.

Self-Confidence.

It’s not just about having confidence in the other person, but also in having confidence in yourself. If you do not feel you deserve to be supported, it’s impossible to then trust others.

Interdependence.

Trust can be seen as an interdependency contract. This means that you both can take care of yourselves if required, but choose to need each other and work together for a better result.

[Not sure if you are or aren’t trusting others? Sign up now to our blog to receive an update when we post the next piece in our series, ‘Is it Trust, or Something Else Completely?”]

Why is trust important?

Trust is a major ingredient (and arguably even the most important one) of determining if our relationships work will or not.

We can relate to others without much trust, of course. Many people don’t trust their boss much, for example, but still have a solid ‘working relationship’.

But authentic relationships we can grow within, such as friendships and partnerships, require real trust, When we decide to trust someone, we let them see the real us, and this is the only way intimacy can grow.

And while trust is mostly interpersonal, there is also another form of trust that is very important – the trust we have for ourselves. Without trust for ourselves, we tend to feel ‘stuck’ in life, unable to make the decisions that would move us forward. Or, we might be impulsive, making rash and sabotaging choices in order to prove a core belief we are not to be trusted.

And this all adds up to trust really being connected to good physical health. Not trusting ourselves often leads to self-abuse, such as addictive behaviours or not practising self-care. And if we don’t trust others, we suffer from things like anxiety and loneliness. Anxiety is connected to high cortisol levels and sleep problems, and loneliness has now been connected to poor immune health and even earlier death.

And if I don’t trust anyone? What then?

It can be helpful to see how important trust is by looking at the other side – what can happen if you don’t trust anyone? You can suffer from:

  • fear of intimacy and relationship problems
  • loneliness and depression
  • anxiety and social anxiety disorder
  • low self-esteem
  • negative thinking and paranoia
  • addictions
  • sexual problems
  • career issues.

Personality disorders are also related to trust issues, but in this case it is more complicated as the personality disorder might be what causes the trust problem, and not vice versa.

I think I have trust issues. What do I do?

Self-help is always a great start. Reading about trust and intimacy issues, as well as attachment issues, can be a useful way to understand where your issue might arise from.

Counselling and psychotherapy is of course extremely helpful for trust issues. At heart, therapy is a relationship between you and your therapist. For many people therapy represents the first time to try trusting another person, creating a safe and supportive environment for you to finally be yourself.

Some therapies put extra focus on this trusting bond between client and therapist. Schema therapy, cognitive analytic therapy (CAT), and dynamic interpersonal therapy (DIT) are three such therapies to look into.

Would you like to work with a therapist who can help you with your trust issues? Harley Therapy connects you with friendly and highly trained counselling psychologists and psychotherapists in central London locations as well as worldwide via Skype counselling.

Comments are now closed on this article. See what others said below. 


Andrea M. Darcy health and wellbeing expert writerAndrea M. Darcy is a mental health and wellbeing expert and personal development teacher. With training in person-centred counselling and coaching, she often writes about trauma and relationships. Find her on Instagram @am_darcy

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A friend betrayed you. Your significant other lied to you. Perhaps there is a list of reasons why you have lost trust in people. Whatever it was, you are scared. How can you ever trust again? It may seem impossible, but with work and time, you can allow yourself to trust again.

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    Replay the scene in your head. Try to think about it as if you were an objective person watching it unfold. Think about exactly what was done to betray your trust.

    • If you were a victim of a crime or traumatic event, seek professional support before you replay the scene so that you can process it effectively without emotionally hurting yourself more.
    • If you have long-term issues with trusting others, you may have several instances come to mind. This long phase may be because of the number of people that have deceived you.
    • Think about your role in the scene. Be honest with yourself about what part you played in the situation. Did you ignore signs of betrayal or were you completely blindsided?
    • Think about the situation from the other person’s perspective. What were they feeling? Why would they deceive you? Do you think they really had bad intentions or was there something else going on?
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    Acknowledge what you are feeling. You probably feel a sense of hurt, confusion, and anger.[1]
    Just the fact that you are going through this phase of not trusting people lets you know that you were greatly impacted in a negative way.

    • Even if your reason for mistrust is something that happened a long time ago, you may still have negative feelings related to it.
    • You may feel as though you can’t trust yourself. For example, you may wonder, «If I was so wrong to trust this person, how can I be sure I’m a good judge of anything else».[2]
    • You might also feel denial (you can’t believe it happened) or depression, and even a sense of loss over the broken relationship.[3]

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    Express how you are feeling. Release your feelings in a positive, constructive way. Keeping your feelings bottled up inside will not allow you to move past this.

    • Write about it. Whether it’s on your journal, a letter to yourself, a song, a text you don’t send, whatever. Just write it out.
    • Do something active. Physical activity (especially on a regular basis) can help you release tension and negative energy. So take a jog or go to the gym.
    • Talk to someone you do trust. Share what happened and how you are feeling about it. If you need to, just talk to yourself in the mirror.
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    Stop looking for the worst in people. When we have been deceived, we can have the tendency to see everyone as deceptive. We see innocent acts as intentional efforts to hurt us. Make a conscious effort to stop looking for the negative.

    • This keeps you from rebuilding trust in people. If all you are looking for is the worst in people, then you will both overlook some of the good things they do and perceive the other good things they do with suspicion.
    • Try to focus more on the positive aspects of people. For example, you might focus on a coworker’s talent for public speaking or your significant other’s kindness.
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    Accept that people do make mistakes. Understand that people are fallible and can do things that cause us to lose trust in them without even meaning to. This happens to everybody at some point or another.[4]

    • Because people aren’t perfect, there will come a time again that someone lies to you, disappoints you, betrays or abandons you.[5]
      Understand that it is a mistake that they are probably very sorry for.
    • Focus on moving past betrayal rather than continuing to blame. Especially in the relationships that are important to you, don’t get stuck thinking about what happened or even what could happen. Accept that a mistake was made and focus on getting past it.
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    Be willing to forgive. To get over mistrusting people, you have to be able to forgive the person (or people) who betrayed you.[6]
    While you don’t have to forget about it, you do have to accept that it happened and now all you can do is move past it.

    • Especially if the person has sincerely apologized, try to acknowledge the things they are doing now to restore your trust.
    • Even if the person has not apologized, accept what they did and forgive them so that you can move past the situation.
    • If the betrayal was especially bad, you may need to distance yourself from the person for a while to work up to forgiveness.
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    Learn from your past experiences. You may be deceived again, but you can use your past experiences to help you identify when someone is deceiving you. Reflect on your past experiences with people and think about the behaviors of people who were trustworthy and people who were not trustworthy.

    • For example, you might reflect on a trustworthy friend who always told you the truth, even if it meant it would upset you.
    • Then, you could compare this behavior to an untrustworthy boyfriend who always told you what he thought you wanted to hear.
    • You can then use these behavior patterns to help you determine if someone is trustworthy or not.
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    Trust yourself. Before you can begin to trust others, you’ve got to trust your instincts and intuition as well as your ability to get over betrayal.[7]

    • Trust that you can pick up on deception. Usually, when recalling an instance of mistrust, people realize they had a feeling of misgiving that they ultimately ignored.[8]
    • Trust that you can identify the good in people. Believe that just like you can probably tell when someone isn’t being honest, you can also tell when people are being sincere and heartfelt.
    • Trust yourself to let your guard down a little bit. You may not feel completely emotionally comfortable around people for a while, but the only way to begin trusting again is to risk letting someone get close to you.
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    Consider whether this was an isolated incident. Reflect on the situation and think about whether it was a single betrayal or if you were betrayed multiple times over a long period of time. If you were betrayed one time by someone close to you, then this knowledge may help you to see that the incident was isolated and that it does not mean that other people will betray you.

    • If you have been betrayed many times over the course of your life, then learning to trust again may be more difficult. For example, if you have been experiencing betrayal since childhood, then you might have learned that it is dangerous to trust people and you will likely need the help of a therapist to start trusting again.
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    Talk about your lack of trust. This may mean telling the person that betrayed you that you don’t trust them any longer. You might say, for example, “It’s hard to admit this, but I don’t trust you because of the lie you told me last week”.

    • If possible, determine why your trust was broken. Ask why they weren’t honest with you and openly listen to the answer.[9]
    • It may mean explaining to someone that is getting to know you that you have a hard time trusting people right now. If the person means a lot to you, and you want a successful relationship with them, then you should share this with them.
    • Talk about how you feel. Explain exactly how you feel and felt when you lost trust in people. For example, try saying, ”When I found out you told my secret, it made me feel confused, hurt, angry, and lost.”
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    Open yourself up slowly. Trusting people again will be a long process. Don’t rush it and share all of yourself at one, but do make an effort to let people in. Slowly let people get close to you and rebuild your trust in them.

    • If you need to, set clear boundaries and expectations for what is okay and what is not.[10]
      Let people know, in a respectful way, what you are and aren’t alright with talking about.
    • Let down your guard a little bit at a time and give people the opportunity to get to know you. Share a little more about you each time you interact. It can be a little scary, but, most likely, worth it as you get to know each other better and build a trusting relationship.
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    Look for instances of people being trustworthy. Most people have good intentions and deserve some level of trust. Instead of looking for reasons not to trust, look for reasons why you should trust people and allow yourself to open up a bit more.

    • Keep in mind that sometimes when we look for or expect the worse in people, that is all we find. Take the time and effort to look for the good and positive in people.
    • If you need to, keep a list or make tally marks each time someone does something to rebuild trust. Give people credit for their effort; whether it’s something as small as being on time, to something as large as being honest in a difficult situation.
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    Seek counseling. Learning to trust again can be a difficult process, especially if you have experienced a major or ongoing betrayal. Finding a therapist to help you regain your trust in people is an excellent way to help yourself. Try to find a therapist who has experience working with people who have experienced the type of betrayal that you have.

    • For example, you might need to find a marriage counselor if your lack of trust stems from being cheated on by your spouse.
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  • If your mistrust stems from something traumatic, violent, abusive, etc. that happened to you (no matter how long ago), you should talk to a counselor or therapist about what you are feeling. They know effective ways to help you work through what happened to you so that you can trust people again.

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Other forms: distrusted; distrusting; distrusts

Distrust is a feeling of doubt about some person or thing. We distrust people who aren’t honest.

When you trust someone, you believe in her, so the opposite is true of distrust. Trust is from the Old Norse word traust meaning «confidence.» Put a dis in front of it, and to distrust is to have no confidence in someone or something. As a noun, distrust is the feeling of doubt. In a corrupt workplace, there will be a lot of distrust. Where there’s distrust, there’s not much harmony.

Definitions of distrust

  1. noun

    doubt about someone’s honesty

  2. noun

    the trait of not trusting others

  3. verb

    regard as untrustworthy; regard with suspicion; have no faith or confidence in

DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘distrust’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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“I don’t know why, but I can’t bring myself to trust people,” the person said to me in a private conversation after a workshop on building trust. “Every time I’ve trusted people in the past I’ve been let down, so now it’s easier and less painful to just rely on myself.”

Maybe you feel similarly, and even if you don’t, you’ve probably experienced broken trust in a past relationship that has caused you to question whether or not it’s worth trusting again. When you find yourself struggling to decide whether or not to trust someone, it’s important to figure out the reasons why.

Here’s three common reasons that hold you back from trusting others:

1. You have a low propensity to trust – Our propensity to trust is based on many factors, chief among them being our personality, early childhood role models and experiences, beliefs and values, culture, self-awareness and emotional maturity. The combination of these factors and experiences shapes how quickly, and how much trust we extend to others. Your experiences may have resulted in you viewing trust as something to be earned, not given, so therefore you withhold trust from others until you’re absolutely sure they deserve it. Even then, you may only extend trust grudgingly or in small amounts. Having a low propensity to trust can hold you back from experiencing true joy and fulfillment in relationships.

2. You have unrealistic expectations – Unrealistic, unspoken, and unclear expectations are a primary cause for low or broken trust in relationships, and the higher the expectations the more likely it is they won’t be met. Trust usually isn’t something people openly talk about or address in relationships until it’s been broken, and by then it’s often too late to salvage the relationship or the breach of trust seems too big to overcome. Clarifying expectations is preventative medicine when it comes to trust. It’s much better to have the awkward or uncomfortable discussion up front about roles, responsibilities, and expectations, than it is to deal with the fallout when either party falls short.

3. Past hurts hold you back – Hurt people, hurt people…those who have been hurt by broken relationships in the past often hurt other people in a dysfunctional form of self-protection. Whether it’s unnecessarily withholding trust (see #1), having unrealistic expectations of others (see #2), being trapped in a victim mentality, lashing out at others, or operating out of low self-esteem, our past experiences with broken trust can easily derail us from developing healthy, high-trust relationships. It’s critical to not let our past hurts dictate our present relationships. As Sue Augustine, author of When Your Past Is Hurting Your Present says, “You may not be able to control what happens to you, but you can control what happens within you.”

Trust is as vital to healthy relationships as oxygen is to a scuba diver; survival is impossible without it. Whether it’s a naturally low propensity to trust, having unrealistic expectations, or letting our past hurts hold us back from trusting others, we have to move beyond these reasons if we want to have trust-filled relationships in the future. Look for an upcoming post on how to improve your “trust-ability” – the ability to trust others.

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments. What other reasons cause you to withhold trust from people?

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