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
Synonym Usage
See misrepresent.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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beliesimple
-
beliessimple
-
have beliedperfect
-
has beliedperfect
-
am belyingprogressive
-
are belyingprogressive
-
is belyingprogressive
-
have been belyingperfect progressive
-
has been belyingperfect progressive
Past
-
beliedsimple
-
had beliedperfect
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was belyingprogressive
-
were belyingprogressive
-
had been belyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of belie
First recorded before 1000; Middle English belyen, Old English belēogan; see be-, lie 1
Explanation
To belie means to contradict. If you are 93 but look like you are 53, then your young looks belie your age. We get belie from the Old English beleogan, which meant "to deceive by lying." It suggests characteristics or behavior that inadvertently or deliberately hide the truth. To remember it, just think "be lying." Snow White's decision to barge into the Seven Dwarfs' home without invitation belied her gentle nature.
Vocabulary lists containing belie
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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:
The piece foreshadows Saar’s penchant for transforming common items into near-mystical objects with seemingly simple flourishes that belie complex themes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
His genial demeanour and penchant for folksy parables belie a past as a wily guerrilla fighter and ruthless political survivor.
From Barron's ● Jan. 12, 2026
And very little that transpires between the current-day Chase and his director would belie the notion that Mr. Chase’s brand has gone down a hole of his own digging.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 30, 2025
"Outward appearance shouldn't belie what lies beneath," Mr Marchant said.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2025
I make myself as small as possible, as if my size could belie our closeness.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
Gannon-Doak is a really exciting prospect but his elevated status with Scotland belies the fact that he's been injured and has only played 150 minutes for Bournemouth this season.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Even more memorable is Sylvie, whose furious pretense of indifference to Helen belies her heartbreak.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
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 ● Mar. 26, 2026
Truss's position at fifth in the table belies her record as the shortest serving prime minister.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026
A kind of city-street music where laughter belies anxiety, and joy is as short and straight as the blade of a pocketknife.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
Chloe Kelly has plenty to keep her busy - but the conviction she shows on the pitch and in front of the camera has belied trickier times behind the scenes.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The upbeat tone struck by city officials belied the ongoing concerns from neighbors and people across large swaths of L.A. about the smoke that has poured from the building for days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
The small weekly move belied a turbulent stretch.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
The mood belied the challenges that await Trump when he gets back to work in Washington on Monday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
His thin hands belied a firm grip, as if steel hid beneath the moisturized skin.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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 ● Mar. 29, 2026
“To this day, I still can’t believe I got convicted,” Duran told The Times in an interview this year, with a calm belying the weight of his words.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2024
Leonardo told the full story gradually, circling back to reveal more details, his quiet, matter-of-fact tone belying the horror of his account.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 13, 2024
Investors in Shein are said to be trying to sell their shares in the Chinese-founded online retailer at valuations as low as $45 billion, belying the company’s effort to go public at $90 billion.
From New York Times ● Jan. 25, 2024
“Janna, I made your favorite, salmon cakes,” Mom calls from too close to the door, her breathing, uneven and stressed, belying her chipper words.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
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.
