belief
Americannoun
-
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:
That narrative supports the belief that nominal rates must rise for real rates to return to positive territory.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
This triggers the belief that Lena is a woman who went missing 13 years before.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
What I loved about the space was the belief that my mom would have liked it here.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
But belief in the American dream is fading.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
Leo wanted to think that an old Chinese belief couldn’t have anything to do with the Romans and the Greeks.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Baker analyzes how the rise of banking and insurance in 15th and 16th century Italy transformed beliefs about time, risk, and luck.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
And throughout her reign, Madonna has lived her inconsistencies, vacillating between opinions and social, spiritual and artistic beliefs of all kinds.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Platner had nothing on which to hang his promises of political efficacy but a collection of articulated progressive beliefs.
From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026
“She’s not diminishing her beliefs, her values, her principles or any other kind of long-term goals” Ziering said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
The term ‘relativism’ is contentious, but I use it, rather than ‘constructivism’, because I want to refer to those who hold that reality does not constrain the beliefs we can hold about the real world.
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.
