belie
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
-
to show to be untrue; contradict
-
to misrepresent; disguise the nature of
the report belied the real extent of the damage
-
to fail to justify; disappoint
Related Words
See misrepresent.
Other Word Forms
- belier noun
Etymology
Origin of belie
First recorded before 1000; Middle English belyen, Old English belēogan; be-, lie 1
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.
The look in Jonah’s eyes belie it though, and it shatters me a little more, knowing that in choosing to put myself first, I’ve cemented Jonah’s inability to do the same.
From Literature
And belying urban legends, there was no link to the Biblical story of Adam and Eve or the death of computing pioneer Alan Turing.
From Barron's
The relative trickle of oil passing through the Gulf and the release of oil from reserves is such that, according to Pyziur, belies another potential problem: the lack of fertilizer coming out of Gulf countries.
From Salon
Truss's position at fifth in the table belies her record as the shortest serving prime minister.
From BBC
Advocates of administrative tribunals claim they’re more efficient than federal courts, but the Ross case belies this conceit.
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.
