unbelief

American  

[uhn-bi-leef] / ˌʌn bɪˈlif /

noun

1. the state or quality of not believing; incredulity or skepticism, especially in matters of doctrine or religious faith.

---

unbelief British  

/ ˌʌnbɪˈliːf /

noun

1. disbelief or rejection of belief

---

Etymology

Origin of unbelief

1125–75; Middle English unbelefe; see un- ¹, belief

Explanation

You can use the noun unbelief to talk about a lack of belief in something, like your unbelief, since childhood, in fairies. When someone doesn't believe in something, that person has an unbelief. Most often, the term unbelief is used to talk specifically about religion. An atheist is characterized by her unbelief in a god or higher power beyond things that can be scientifically proven. Another word for unbelief is disbelief.

Example Sentences

The cultural chasm between Europeans and Africans presented obstacles to conversion, and a long legacy of church practice forbidding the enslavement of fellow Christians provided grounds to leave slaves in unbelief.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

Whatever world-changing power we might seek, whatever influence we might hope to wield, starts with the ancient prayer: Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.

From New York Times • Dec. 18, 2021

While celebrating after Game 5, Birdsong looked into Philadelphia’s thinning crowd and saw Erving’s then-wife, Turquoise, “in unbelief, shocked” in the stands.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2021

By the time Nietzsche proclaimed that God was dead, this book argues, the “emotional shape” of unbelief was long in place, and with it the forces that disseminate Western secularism.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 30, 2019

At her brilliant eyes and tremulous smile her two daughters stared in unbelief.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare