belie

[bih-lahy]

verb (used with object)

belied, belying 

1. to show to be false; contradict.

   His trembling hands belied his calm voice.

   Synonyms: gainsay, confute, repudiate, disprove, refute
   Antonyms: support, verify, substantiate, confirm, prove

2. to misrepresent.

   The newspaper belied the facts.

3. to act unworthily according to the standards of (a tradition, one's ancestry, one's faith, etc.).

4. Archaic.,  to lie about; slander.

belie

/ bɪˈlaɪ /

verb

1. to show to be untrue; contradict

2. to misrepresent; disguise the nature of

   the report belied the real extent of the damage

3. to fail to justify; disappoint

Other Word Forms

• belier noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of belie¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English belyen, Old English belēogan; be-, lie ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of belie¹

Old English belēogan ; related to Old Frisian biliuga , Old High German biliugan ; see _be- , _lie ¹

Synonym Study

See misrepresent.

Example Sentences

At the same time, the activity in the town belies the desolation implied by building data that show only 30% of destroyed homes have been replaced.

From Los Angeles Times

The former Olympic athlete, who has died at the age of 84, had an urbane manner and "grandee" style, although it belied more humble origins.

From BBC

Her sanguine — and mischievously macabre — response belies the fact that the fire, coupled with the long years of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused an extended fallow period during which she completely stopped creating art.

From Los Angeles Times

But the eccentricities of this defendant belie the seriousness of the case.

From BBC

He fired Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer for releasing a revised jobs report belying his public assurances that the U.S. job market is better than ever.

From Salon

Related Words

• distort 
• gloss over 
• mislead 
• misstate