belief

[bih-leef]

noun

1. something believed; an opinion or conviction.

   a belief that the earth is flat.

   Synonyms: persuasion, conclusion, tenet, view

2. confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof.

   a statement unworthy of belief.

   Synonyms: assurance

3. confidence; faith; trust.

   a child's belief in his parents.

4. a religious tenet or tenets; religious creed or faith.

   the Christian belief.

   Synonyms: dogma, doctrine

belief

/ bɪˈliːf /

noun

1. a principle, proposition, idea, etc, accepted as true

2. opinion; conviction

3. religious faith

4. trust or confidence, as in a person or a person's abilities, probity, etc

Other Word Forms

• prebelief noun
• superbelief noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of belief¹

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

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

But he did reiterate his belief that the club will be making "inroads" for a permanent replacement in the upcoming international window.

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This astrological belief holds that the ringed planet’s return to the position it occupied at a person’s birth marks the dividing line between youth and true adulthood.

Read more on Salon

First, there’s the American dream—the belief that hard work can bring prosperity.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Jones said he has never felt like an overly positive guy, but Steichen oozes positivity and that gives him confidence and belief.

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He is a mayoral candidate deeply committed to keeping everyone safe, regardless of religious beliefs, Lander told the BBC.

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Related Words

• acceptance 
• assumption 
• conclusion 
• confidence 
• conviction 
• expectation 
• faith 
• feeling 
• hope 
• idea 
• judgment 
• knowledge 
• notion 
• opinion 
• position 
• suspicion 
• theory 
• thinking 
• trust 
• understanding