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

With his country twang and aw-shucks mannerisms belying a keen intellect, Will Rogers was the lasso-roping star of vaudeville and the Broadway stage.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

And there’s a fundamental soundness to the market that belies concerns of a bubble in its AI-powering engine as well.

Read more on Barron's

Companies’ increased need for capital to finance new infrastructure and manufacturing belies the concerns about the health of the private credit market fueled by recent bankruptcies in the automotive sector, Zelter said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Al-Houthi’s outward demeanor, however, belied a more strategic—and ruthless—streak that led him to link up more closely with backers that could facilitate the group’s rise.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

All of which belies the overriding image of inclusion touted by advocacy groups.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• distort 
• gloss over 
• mislead 
• misstate