disbelieve

American  

[dis-bi-leev] / ˌdɪs bɪˈliv /

verb (used with object)

disbelieved, disbelieving

1. to have no belief in; refuse or reject belief in.

   to disbelieve reports of UFO sightings.

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verb (used without object)

disbelieved, disbelieving

1. to refuse or reject belief; have no belief.

disbelieve British  

/ ˌdɪsbɪˈliːv /

verb

1. (tr) to reject as false or lying; refuse to accept as true or truthful

2. to have no faith (in)

   disbelieve in God

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Other Word Forms

• disbeliever noun
• disbelieving adjective
• disbelievingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of disbelieve

First recorded in 1635–45; dis- ¹ + believe

Example Sentences

There were muted cheers, as disbelieving murmurs rose from the audience instead.

From BBC

And when he told me some of the details I was totally disbelieving, what my salary per episode would be — incomprehensible.

From Los Angeles Times

Court papers released over the past two months show Fox executives, producers and personalities privately disbelieved Trump’s claims of a fraudulent election.

From Washington Times

“The consistency of the experience of going to doctor after doctor, seeking help, and being disbelieved and condescended to is really surprising to me,” Garvin said.

From Los Angeles Times

Along with the pointing Jesus and the disbelieving Matthew, Pareja inserted at the picture’s far left a self-portrait, almost in the same three-quarter profile that Velázquez chose a decade before.

From New York Times

Related Words

• repudiate