belief
Americannoun
-
beliefs
plural
-
something believed; an opinion or conviction.
a belief that the earth is flat.
- Synonyms:
- persuasion, conclusion, tenet, view
-
confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof.
a statement unworthy of belief.
- Synonyms:
- assurance
-
confidence; faith; trust.
a child's belief in his parents.
-
a religious tenet or tenets; religious creed or faith.
the Christian belief.
noun
-
a principle, proposition, idea, etc, accepted as true
-
opinion; conviction
-
religious faith
-
trust or confidence, as in a person or a person's abilities, probity, etc
Synonym Usage
Belief, certainty, conviction refer to acceptance of, or confidence in, an alleged fact or body of facts as true or right without positive knowledge or proof. Belief is such acceptance in general: belief in astrology. Certainty indicates unquestioning belief and positiveness in one's own mind that something is true: I know this for a certainty. Conviction is settled, profound, or earnest belief that something is right: a conviction that a decision is just.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of belief
First recorded in 1125–75; earlier bile(e)ve (noun use of verb); replacing Middle English bileave, equivalent to bi- be- + leave (probably from Old English -lēafa “belief”); cognate with Dutch geloof, German Glaube; akin to Gothic galaubeins
Explanation
A belief is an idea one accepts as being true or real. Many children have a strong belief that the Tooth Fairy really does exist. The noun belief replaced the Old English word geleafa, meaning “belief, faith,” in the late 12th century. A belief is an idea one usually holds with conviction and importance. In a religious context, the Ancient Greeks held the belief that many gods existed, controlling their fate, while Christianity began with the belief that only one God exists. You can also have belief in yourself in the face of a challenge.
Vocabulary lists containing belief
"The Experiment" and "Superstition"
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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:
It’s an old-school way of thinking for the modern era — a belief that the work should be taken seriously but without ever letting the viewer in on how intensely he’s considering it.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
The former term signifies the belief that the soundest interpretation of a law will have first determined its public meaning at the time of its passage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
"But this is amazing. It gives yourself a little bit more belief that you can go on and compete at this level."
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Many people report barriers such as lack of confidence, uncertainty about how to start, fear of injury or the belief that gyms are not for them.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
Though the Salem witch trials were 150 years past, in remote areas like Hydesville, belief in sorcery and evil held fast.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
This week underscored the challenge the New York City mayor faces in hewing to those deeply held beliefs and appeasing his political base while governing the nation’s largest city.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
In addition to being ideologically divided, young men and women have vastly different beliefs about religion and gender.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
As speculation swirled about why employees at OpenAI and Anthropic were speaking so freely about their personal beliefs, Korbak jumped into the public discourse.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
The prolific and acclaimed writer and activist used his liberal beliefs and his agrarian roots in Kentucky to craft novels, poems and essays connecting the natural world to humankind.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
As Montaigne put it in 1580, ‘the beliefs, judgements and opinions of men...have their cycles, seasons, births and deaths, every bit as much as cabbages do.’
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
