belief

[bih-leef]

noun

1. something believed; an opinion or conviction.

   a belief that the earth is flat.

   Synonyms: persuasion, conclusion, tenet, view

2. confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof.

   a statement unworthy of belief.

   Synonyms: assurance

3. confidence; faith; trust.

   a child's belief in his parents.

4. a religious tenet or tenets; religious creed or faith.

   the Christian belief.

   Synonyms: dogma, doctrine

belief

/ bɪˈliːf /

noun

1. a principle, proposition, idea, etc, accepted as true

2. opinion; conviction

3. religious faith

4. trust or confidence, as in a person or a person's abilities, probity, etc

Other Word Forms

• prebelief noun
• superbelief noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of belief¹

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

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Any manager who is worth his salt will have the understanding and belief to back his own judgement.

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"It gave us a lot of belief the Australian team were there for the taking. We got out of jail, but in a way that gave us a lot of confidence."

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"Winning away from home is terrific - it's not easy away from home in Europe. It gives them belief that they can come and compete."

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"They're inscribing something about their cosmology, their belief systems, into the earth itself in a very dramatic way."

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In 325 AD, among other key decisions, more than 200 bishops at the council affirmed the belief that Jesus was the son of God, eventually leading to what is known as the Nicene Creed.

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Related Words

• acceptance 
• assumption 
• conclusion 
• confidence 
• conviction 
• expectation 
• faith 
• feeling 
• hope 
• idea 
• judgment 
• knowledge 
• notion 
• opinion 
• position 
• suspicion 
• theory 
• thinking 
• trust 
• understanding