belief
Americannoun
-
something believed; an opinion or conviction.
a belief that the earth is flat.
- Synonyms:
- persuasion , conclusion , tenet , view
-
confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof.
a statement unworthy of belief.
- Synonyms:
- assurance
-
confidence; faith; trust.
a child's belief in his parents.
-
a religious tenet or tenets; religious creed or faith.
the Christian belief.
noun
-
a principle, proposition, idea, etc, accepted as true
-
opinion; conviction
-
religious faith
-
trust or confidence, as in a person or a person's abilities, probity, etc
Related Words
Belief, certainty, conviction refer to acceptance of, or confidence in, an alleged fact or body of facts as true or right without positive knowledge or proof. Belief is such acceptance in general: belief in astrology. Certainty indicates unquestioning belief and positiveness in one's own mind that something is true: I know this for a certainty. Conviction is settled, profound, or earnest belief that something is right: a conviction that a decision is just.
Other Word Forms
- prebelief noun
- superbelief noun
Etymology
Origin of belief
First recorded in 1125–75; earlier bile(e)ve (noun use of verb); replacing Middle English bileave, equivalent to bi- be- + leave (probably from Old English -lēafa “belief”); cognate with Dutch geloof, German Glaube; akin to Gothic galaubeins
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The belief among a decent number of F1 insiders is that McLaren are favouring Norris this year, but not wanting to admit it publicly.
From BBC
University faculty and academic observers note that while students have a constitutional right to express personal beliefs, instructors have the authority to assess assignments on their academic merit.
From Salon
Independent masters articulated grievances through “producerism”—the belief that labor created all value and merchants were parasites.
"Never losing the belief that we can pull off a rabbit from the hat."
From Barron's
"For many people, the Bible remains an important guide to their basic beliefs about nation states and borders," MacDonald says.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
