belie

verb

be·lie | \ bi-ˈlī

, bē-\

belied; belying

Definition of belie

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 sense 3 An air of rural charm … belies the community's industrial activity. — American Guide Series: Pennsylvania

Other Words from belie Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about belie

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Synonyms & Antonyms for belie

Synonyms

misrepresent

Antonyms

betray, represent

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.

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

With a glossy look that belies its modest budget and slender 20-day shoot, this elevated genre exercise should enjoy healthy festival interest and decent commercial prospects. — Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter, "'I See You': Film Review | Edinburgh 2019," 8 July 2019 India isn’t represented in Epcot, so head to A’taj , just outside one of the resort’s southern gates, for kebabs, curries and kormas in a fairly opulent setting that belies its strip-mall address. — Jim Webster, Twin Cities, "In Orlando or Anaheim for a Disney vacation? Explore the cities beyond the gates, too," 29 June 2019 India isn’t represented in Epcot, so head to A’taj, just outside one of the resort’s southern gates, for kebabs, curries and kormas in a fairly opulent setting that belies its strip-mall address. — Noy Thrupkaew And Jim Webster, Houston Chronicle, "In Orlando or Anaheim for a Disney vacation? Explore the cities beyond the gates, too," 28 June 2019 Tucked behind a large self-storage facility on Old Farms Road in Avon is a private water-skiing pond that has a reputation that belies its quiet setting. — Josh Kovner, courant.com, "Chemistry and calm, then loneliness and turbulence in the marriage of missing New Canaan mother Jennifer Farber Dulos," 23 June 2019 India isn’t represented in Epcot, so head to A’taj , just outside one of the resort’s southern gates, for kebabs, curries and kormas in a fairly opulent setting that belies its strip-mall address. — Noy Thrupkaew, Washington Post, "In Orlando or Anaheim for a Disney vacation? Explore the cities beyond the gates, too.," 21 June 2019 When Big Little Lies debuted in 2017 as a miniseries, the scenes that belied its showy, Monterey-mommies-and-murder veneer were the moments when Celeste was in therapy, grappling with Perry’s violence and her seeming addiction to him. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, "The Family Values of Big Little Lies," 7 June 2019 That boyish smile and crinkling eyes belie the 40 years Keith Mills has spent in sports broadcasting — the past 13 on WBAL’s graveyard shift — and the drug arrests that scarred him inside, if not out. — Mike Klingaman, baltimoresun.com, "After fighting addiction, WBAL sportscaster Keith Mills retiring as 'a Baltimore treasure'," 27 June 2019 Our experiences belie a deeper existential crisis in primary care. — STAT, "We were inspired to become primary care physicians. Now we’re reconsidering a field in crisis," 20 June 2019

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.