belie

play

verb be·lie \bi-ˈlī, bē-\

Definition of belie

belied

;

belying

transitive verb
1a : 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.
2a : 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 3 An air of rural charm … belies the community's industrial activity. — American Guide Series: Pennsylvania

belier

play \-ˈlī(-ə)r\ noun

See belie defined for English-language learners

See belie defined for kids

belie was our Word of the Day on 12/26/2015. Hear the podcast!

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 of belie from the Web

Teddy is easily the least sympathetic character, although Hudson gives him a dopey schoolboyish charm that belies his manipulative streak.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "Snowfall Considers the Origins of the Crack Epidemic", 5 July 2017
By Wednesday, mostly sunny skies will belie low pressure moving out of the central Plains that looks to bring cloudiness and a good chance of showers/thunderstorms later that night.

— tom skilling, chicagotribune.com, "Cooler, less humid air moves in for Sunday", 17 June 2017
The short overhangs in the front and rear belied the spacious interior.

— emma jayne williams special to the star-telegram, star-telegram, "Fiat 500’s stylish exterior is quite Italian;a fun ride with a surprisingly roomy cabin", 17 June 2017
There’s actually a story about the music for The Nutcracker adagio, which would seem to belie its emotional power—that it was composed on a bet.

— leilah bernstein, Los Angeles Magazine, "These ‘Lost’ Ballets Are Being Performed for the First Time in L.A.", 16 June 2017
These delicate qualities belie a fierce inner strength and a steely artistic will.

— helena alonso paisley, miamiherald, "Her route to self-discovery has been a long and winding road", 15 June 2017
This portrait of Kensington belies the idea that its more comfortable residents are knee-jerk Conservative voters, said the independent candidate for Parliament, James Torrance.

— isaac stanley-becker, Washington Post, "In Kensington, a super-posh neighborhood of London, signs of Labour’s new strength", 10 June 2017
That's Fiasco for you, though — making a memorable theatrical racket that belies the compact size of the resourceful company’s artistic paddle …

— james hebert, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Old Globe's 'Imaginary Invalid' a savvy revisiting of classic", 2 June 2017
That's Fiasco for you, though — making a memorable theatrical racket that belies the compact size of the resourceful company’s artistic paddle … er, palette.

— james hebert, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Old Globe's 'Imaginary Invalid' a savvy revisiting of classic", 2 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'belie'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

What is a lie? asked Lord Byron in Don Juan. He then answered himself: "'Tis but the truth in masquerade. . . ." The history of "belie" illustrates a certain connection between lying and disguising. In its earliest known use, around A.D. 1000, belie meant "to deceive by lying." By the 1200s, it was being used to mean "to tell lies about," using a sense similar to that of the modern word slander. Over time its meaning softened, shifting from an act of outright lying to one of mere misrepresentation, and by the early 1700s, the word was being used in the sense "to disguise or conceal." Nowadays, "belie" suggests giving an impression at variance with the facts rather than telling an intentional untruth.

Origin and Etymology of belie

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

NEW!

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

BELIE Defined for English Language Learners

belie

play

verb

Definition of belie for English Language Learners

: to give a false idea of (something)
: to show (something) to be false or wrong

BELIE Defined for Kids

belie

play

verb be·lie \bi-ˈlī\

Definition of belie for Students

belied

;

belying

1 : to give a false idea of Her voice was strong and even, belying her eighty-two years. — Kevin Henkes, Olive's Ocean
2 : to show to be false Their actions belie their claim of innocence.