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 of belie

• misrepresent
• conceal
• obscure

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

The convergence of Abundance centrists and conservative environmentalists would seem to belie the ACC’s assertion that the environmental movement is dominated by radicals who would rather sabotage the American economy than accept any of the compromises necessary to achieve a prosperous future. —Gaby Del Valle, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026

The Sudanese American artist introduced the LP with a pair of duets with Bon Iver, fusions of bedroom rap, heartfelt folk, Sunday morning soul, and future funk whose otherworldly sprawl belies their genesis in a session tied to a Travis Scott track. —Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 23 Mar. 2026

While the number of events at the San Jose McEneny Convention Center and adjacent East Hall has been climbing since the 2021-22 fiscal year, from 38 to 58 last year, the booming attendance at Nvidia’s gathering belied a struggling recovery with a long way to go before returning to pre-COVID levels. —Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2026

The result is a space that very much belies its origins as a warehouse, and yet is a very artisanal version of a warehouse space, with at least as many overtly warm touches as industrial ones. —Chris Willman, Variety, 21 Mar. 2026

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