belie

verb

be·​lie bi-ˈlī 

bē-

belied; belying

transitive verb

1

a

: to give a false impression of

Her gentleness belies her strength.

b

: to present an appearance not in agreement with

His manner and appearance belie his age.

2

a

: to show (something) to be false or wrong

The evidence belies their claims of innocence.

b

: to run counter to : contradict

… appeared to belie all the rosy things I had heard about it.

—Katherine T. Kinkead

3

: disguise sense 3

An air of rural charm … belies the community's industrial activity.

—American Guide Series: Pennsylvania

belier

bi-ˈlī(-ə)r 

bē-

noun

Did you know?

"What is a lie?" asks Lord Byron in Don Juan. He then answers himself: "'Tis but the truth in masquerade...." The history of belie illustrates a certain connection between lying and masquerading as something other than one is. In Old English, belie meant "to deceive by lying," but in time, it came to mean "to tell lies about," taking on a sense similar to that of the modern word slander. Eventually, its meaning softened, shifting from an act of outright lying to one of mere misrepresentation; by the 1700s, the word was being used in the sense "to disguise or conceal." Nowadays, belie is typically applied when someone or something gives an impression that is in disagreement with the facts, rather than in contexts where there is an intentional untruth. A happy face put on to set others at ease, for example, may belie an internal disgruntlement.

Synonyms

• misrepresent

Examples of belie in a Sentence

a tree whose delicate beauty belies its real toughness

Their actions belie their claim to be innocent.

Recent Examples on the Web

Her presence and scoring stood out — a level of maturity and production that belied her age. —Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025

The ensuing conflict between them takes an abrupt turn into a hotel-room two-hander as Anima fastens Abel to a bed and coerces him into confronting his feelings by playing his own music to him and dispensing shallow insights about how his songs’ upbeat melodies belie their cry-for-help content. —Charles Bramesco, IndieWire, 15 May 2025

But the flippancy of the phrase belies the detailed precision with which the Sky plan to manufacture 3-point looks. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2025

But the intense interest in his selection belies the notion that routine politics is what people care about here. —Editorial, Boston Herald, 10 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English belien, going back to Old English belēogan, from be- be- + lēogan "to lie entry 3"

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for belie

• ai
• aye
• bae
• bi
• buy
• by
• bye
• chai
• chi
• cry
• die
• dry

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Kids Definition

belie

verb

be·​lie bi-ˈlī 

belied; belying

1

: to give a false idea of

her looks belied her age

2

: to show to be false

their actions belie their claim to be innocent

belier noun