poverenje

Povjerenje, also spelled poverenje in some dialects, is a noun in Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, and Montenegrin that denotes trust or confidence—the belief that a person, institution, or system is reliable, honest, and capable. It can describe a mental state of trusting someone as well as the broader level of trust in social relations or institutions.

Etymology: povjerenje is derived from the verb povjeriti, “to entrust,” with the prefix po- and the root vjer- (to believe). The noun is formed with the suffix -enje. The concept is closely linked to the idea of faith or belief in others’ reliability.

Usage: Common constructions include having povjerenje u nekoga (to have trust in someone), izgubiti povjerenje (to lose trust), or izgraditi povjerenje (to build trust). In public life, povjerenje is used in phrases such as povjerenje u institucije or glasati povjerenje vladi (to vote confidence in the government). The opposite is nepovjerenje or gubitak povjerenja.

Social and political significance: Povjerenje functions as social capital enabling cooperation within communities and between citizens and institutions. It is a frequent subject of survey research measuring trust in government, judiciary, media, and other public bodies.

Note: In legal language, povjerenje is not to be confused with punomoćje (power of attorney) or ovjerenje (attestation).