mistrust and distrust. Same meaning or not?

Factual Questions
1

Hi,

I’ve seen many posts online trying to make a case that mistrust and distrust have different meanings. As far as I’m concerned there is no difference in meaning between the two words. Let’s clear this up once and for all. I look forward to your feedback.
davidmich
http://www.onelook.com/?w=distrust&ls=a

mistrust and distrust

mistrust
▸ noun:doubt about someone’s honesty
▸ noun:the trait of not trusting others
▸ verb:regard as untrustworthy; regard with suspicion; have no faith or confidence in

distrust
▸ noun:the trait of not trusting others
▸ noun:doubt about someone’s honesty
▸ verb:regard as untrustworthy; regard with suspicion; have no faith or confidence in

2

Persuasive?

distrust…lack of trust based on experience
mistrust…uncertainty or unease…not necessarily based on experience

"Although distrust and mistrust are slightly different, many writers use them interchangeably, usually favoring distrust (which appears about twice as often as mistrust in all English varieties). But the following writers use distrust in its more conventional sense—i.e., in reference to lack of trust based on experience or reliable information:

There’s plenty of reason why this community of ours – a wonderful community in many ways – should distrust the police. [Guardian]

So with the public either distrustful or afraid of the stock market, and market professionals generally looking for a rally failure, what can we expect now? [Forbes]

The profound skepticism shared by many Pakistanis is rooted in their deep distrust of the United States … [Los Angeles Times]

And in the following examples, mistrust refers to general uncertainty or unease not necessarily based on experience, which is its more conventional sense:

Blocking the Internet, meanwhile, can increase fear and mistrust because it cuts off access to accurate information. [Sydney Morning Herald]

They feel victimized, embittered, deeply mistrustful of every established institution except the military. [National Post]"

3

To me, the words are similar but not identical. “Mistrust” is when you are suspicious of someone; “distrust” is when you have already decided they are no good. To that end, I would have used the other choice in your Guadian quote and possibly in the National Post quote. (Edit: I think I would have used “distrustful” there because it collocates with “deeply” due to the alliteration.) There’s no etymological justification for that, so I’m prepared to hear that it’s just me creating a distinction where none exists.

Just one data point from a North American native speaker.

4

I’m going to suggest that in many of your questions, including this one, you’re looking for more precision than language inherently offers.

If you’re going to use any word as a writer, you can’t actually transmit a message any more precisely than your audience collectively understands the words you used. Said another way, if different people in the audience have different definitions, there is nothing you can do to transmit a single meaning to all of them.

In the specific case of mistrust / distrust, your own research shows that even the pedants don’t have clear-cut definitions of each with a clear and obvious gap between their meanings. One is a light shade of black, the other a dark shade of white. Both are largely overlapping shades gray.

If even pedants & professionals think the situation is murky, clearly us ordinary folks’ views are going to be all over the map.
In the converse case, where you’re trying to read something somebody else wrote, the problem is the same. You as reader might be sure you understand some specific nuance differences between e.g. mistrust and distrust. But you can’t be sure that the author has shares your understanding of the nuances; he/she may have meant something quite different.
I call this whole thing the “LSLGuy Language Uncertainty Principle”. Like you, I prize precision in communication. But I eventually came to admit we can’t in fact get to a razor-sharp focus in our writing & reading. We have to settle for a more soft-focus communication, where there’s a reasonable correspondence between the author’s single goal and the multitude of readers’ multitudes of impressions. Seeking for more than a “reasonable correspondence” is a fools errand.

Having said all that … this North American agrees with Dr. Drake’s interpretation of the nuances.

5

Thank you Dr Drake and LSL Guy. I did come across a Wikipedia page defining “distrust” but none for “mistrust”. I wonder why? Does wikipedia see them as mere synonyms but then I saw this:

“An electoral system or adversarial process inevitably is based on distrust, but not on mistrust. Parties compete in the system, but they do not compete to subvert the system itself, or gain bad faith advantage through it - if they do they are easily caught by the others”

"Distrust (or mistrust) is a formal way of not trusting any one party too much in a situation of grave risk or deep doubt. It is commonly expressed in civics as a division or balance of powers, or in politics as means of validating treaty terms. Systems based on distrust simply divide the responsibility so that checks and balances can operate. The phrase “Trust, but verify” refers specifically to distrust.

An electoral system or adversarial process inevitably is based on distrust, but not on mistrust. Parties compete in the system, but they do not compete to subvert the system itself, or gain bad faith advantage through it - if they do they are easily caught by the others. Of course much mistrust does exist between parties, and it is exactly this which motivates putting in place a formal system of distrust. Diplomatic protocol for instance, which applies between states, relies on such means as formal disapproval which in effect say “we do not trust that person”. It also tends to rely on a strict etiquette - distrusting each person’s habits to signal their intent, and instead relying on a global standard for behaviour in sensitive social settings."

My understanding from this:

Distrust:…“not trusting any one party too much in a situation of grave risk or deep doubt.”
Mistrust …“Of course much mistrust does exist between parties, and it is exactly this which motivates putting in place a formal system of distrust.”
Mistrust: (not clear) To doubt the truth or sincerity of something or someone

People who are distrustful of each other can still deal with each other as long as certain agreements/protocols of behavior/guidelines are in place. Just because you know that people will cheat if given an opportunity (human nature) doesn’t necessarily mean that the person you are dealing with at a particular time will cheat you.

If I said “I distrust human nature (from experience), which is why I will set guidelines so that each person can deal with the other and not necessarily mistrust him/her(doubt the truth or sincerity of that person)” would that be correct?

6

From the following it seems that mistrust and distrust differ on one major point. “Mistrust” has an added “ulterior motive” or “agenda” to the definition. If I’m distrustful, I’m on more solid ground in my suspicions, but when I’m mistrustful, I’m not so sure about my suspicions, which is very uncomfortable.

"Distrust should not be confused with mistrust, which is believing that a particular party has a hidden agenda. When such is the case, however, distrust plays a role in minimizing the power of specific individuals with roles in “the system.” For instance providing the benefit of the doubt to someone accused of a crime. "

What is the usage difference between distrust and mistrust?
ANSWER
“Mistrust” suggests vague doubts. “Distrust” is rather more emphatic suggesting positive suspicions and even a complete lack of trust. Also “mistrust” is the preferred form when expressing doubts about oneself. ANSWER

Mistrust means “to doubt, to lack confidence in,” as in I mistrust his ability to persuade her. Distrust means much the same but adds suspicion to the mix: He distrusts her because he thinks she’ll cheat him.

(The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.)

Distrust is a formal way of not trusting any one party too much in a situation of grave risk or deep doubt. It is commonly expressed in civics as a division or balance of powers, or in politics as means of validating treaty terms. Systems based on distrust simply divide the responsibility so that checks and balances can operate. The phrase “trust but verify” refers specifically to distrust.

Distrust should not be confused with mistrust, which is believing that a particular party has a hidden agenda. When such is the case, however, distrust plays a role in minimizing the power of specific individuals with roles in “the system.” For instance providing the benefit of the doubt to someone accused of a crime.

An electoral system or adversarial process inevitably is based on distrust, but not on mistrust. Parties compete in the system, but they do not compete to subvert the system itself, or gain bad faith advantage through it - if they do they are easily caught by the others. Of course much mistrust does exist between parties, and it is exactly this which motivates putting in place a formal system of distrust. Diplomatic protocol for instance, which applies between states, relies on such means as formal disapproval which in effect say “we do not trust that person”. It also tends to rely on a strict etiquette - distrusting each person’s habits to signal their intent, and instead relying on a global standard for behaviour in sensitive social settings.

http://infao5501.ag5.mpi-sb.mpg.de:8080/topx/archive?link=Wikipedia-Lip6-2/1474763.xml&style

Mistrust is the act of believing that a particular party has a hidden agenda or ulterior motive. This can happen in everyday life in situations where the parties otherwise trust each other, but find themselves questioning that trust. Mistrust is different from distrust, in which the lack of trust seems clear to the believer (and usually to the recipient), as in war.

http://www.reference.com/browse/mistrust

7

For what it’s worth:

mis- : a prefix applied to various parts of speech, meaning “ill,” “mistaken,” “wrong,” “wrongly,” “incorrectly,” or simply negating:
mistrial; misprint; mistrust.

dis- : a Latin prefix meaning “apart,” “asunder,” “away,” “utterly,” or having a privative, negative, or reversing force (see de-, un-2.); used freely, especially with these latter senses, as an English formative:
disability; disaffirm; disbar; disbelief; discontent; dishearten; dislike; disown.

8

Based on my reading of many examples online, I like to think of it this way:
“I’d rather deal with the devil I know(distrust:I have my suspicions based on experience but will deal with someone provided I sent boundaries) than the devil I don’t”(mistrust: I have not had any dealings with this person and suspect he has sinister motives/intentions)

" A certain level of distrust is vital to preventing excessive group cohesion that precludes sound decision making. In addition, a certain amount of distrust allows us to set boundaries around another’s behavior in a way that limits their freedom yet permits functional interaction (so, for example, I might trust my friend to walk my dog, but not trust them with a key to my house that would let them enter any time they choose)."