belie
Americanverb (used with object)
-
belies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
belied,
past participle, past
-
belying
present participle
-
to show to be false; contradict.
His trembling hands belied his calm voice.
- Antonyms:
- support, verify, substantiate, confirm, prove
-
to misrepresent.
The newspaper belied the facts.
-
to act unworthily according to the standards of (a tradition, one's ancestry, one's faith, etc.).
-
Archaic. to lie about; slander.
verb
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to show to be untrue; contradict
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to misrepresent; disguise the nature of
the report belied the real extent of the damage
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to fail to justify; disappoint
Synonym Usage
See misrepresent.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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beliesimple
-
beliessimple
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have beliedperfect
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has beliedperfect
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am belyingprogressive
-
are belyingprogressive
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is belyingprogressive
-
have been belyingperfect progressive
-
has been belyingperfect progressive
Past
-
beliedsimple
-
had beliedperfect
-
was belyingprogressive
-
were belyingprogressive
-
had been belyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of belie
First recorded before 1000; Middle English belyen, Old English belēogan; see be-, lie 1
Explanation
To belie means to contradict. If you are 93 but look like you are 53, then your young looks belie your age. We get belie from the Old English beleogan, which meant "to deceive by lying." It suggests characteristics or behavior that inadvertently or deliberately hide the truth. To remember it, just think "be lying." Snow White's decision to barge into the Seven Dwarfs' home without invitation belied her gentle nature.
Vocabulary lists containing belie
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The aforementioned film inspired by his life shows what it’s like to live with involuntary vocal tics that belie your own beliefs or intentions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
He casts the country as crime-ridden, though the data belie him again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025
But the braggadocio both in terms of the AI investment cycle and Nvidia’s place at the top of it, seems to belie a greater degree of concern than the company would likely admit.
From Barron's ● Nov. 26, 2025
"Outward appearance shouldn't belie what lies beneath," Mr Marchant said.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2025
I make myself as small as possible, as if my size could belie our closeness.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
Such an impressive classical pedigree belies the “gremlins of self-doubt” that have plagued Hopkins for much of his life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
A 17-year-old Sudanese girl holds a young child in her arms with a heavy calm that belies her age and the concerns she has for his future.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
The tepid performance on the broader market in July actually belies churning beneath the surface.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
Gannon-Doak is a really exciting prospect but his elevated status with Scotland belies the fact that he's been injured and has only played 150 minutes for Bournemouth this season.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Mother Ermentrude comes into the room and kneels by my pallet, a gesture of humility that belies her authority.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Ayyoub Bouaddi belied his age with a mature Champions League performance on his first Manchester City start to showcase why the club were so intent on signing the 18-year-old.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
The upbeat tone struck by city officials belied the ongoing concerns from neighbors and people across large swaths of L.A. about the smoke that has poured from the building for days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
Nakai belied her years as the youngest competitor in Milan.
From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026
But Van Der Beek’s wholesome good looks belied his creative ambitions.
From Salon ● Feb. 15, 2026
The music-master was a young man, thin and clean, whose bright silk waistcoats belied the gravity of the rest of his vesture, which was black and brown.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Sitting in the midst of these veteran L.A. sessions players, Nasa looked focused but confident, his youthful face belying his easy, fleet-fingered playing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Anselmet pushed on, his smooth metronomic movements belying the intense physical effort required on the unrelenting course.
From Barron's ● Feb. 21, 2026
Charles Leclerc took the final podium position, belying his pre-race pessimism, fending off the McLaren of Oscar Piastri for the final 27 laps.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2024
Leonardo told the full story gradually, circling back to reveal more details, his quiet, matter-of-fact tone belying the horror of his account.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 13, 2024
She wasn't rich in life, her clothing belying her poverty, and even her death has been insulting.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
