disbelieve

[dis-bi-leev]

verb (used with object)

disbelieved, disbelieving 

1. to have no belief in; refuse or reject belief in.

   to disbelieve reports of UFO sightings.

verb (used without object)

disbelieved, disbelieving 

1. to refuse or reject belief; have no belief.

disbelieve

/ ˌdɪsbɪˈliːv /

verb

1. (tr) to reject as false or lying; refuse to accept as true or truthful

2. to have no faith (in)

   disbelieve in God

Other Word Forms

• disbeliever noun
• disbelievingly adverb
• disbelieving adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of disbelieve¹

First recorded in 1635–45; dis- ¹ + believe

Example Sentences

When he uttered that lie on Feb. 28, 2020, he set the stage for his followers to reject scientific recommendations and health guidelines, including vaccines, and to disbelieve the science going forward.

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This may qualify as the most misunderstood or disbelieved fact in modern-day America: No matter what cable TV and social media may tell you, crime is a lot lower now than in decades past.

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"That you can drop a person in the sea with a life jacket in a war zone was something people automatically chose to disbelieve," Mr Gonsalves said.

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From across the coffee table, their eyes widened, and their mouths skewed into disbelieving shapes.

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He said he believed the boy was genuinely concerned about the knife, and agreed he had "no reason to disbelieve him".

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Related Words

• repudiate