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disbelief

noun
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dis·​be·​lief | \ ˌdis-bə-ˈlēf How to pronounce disbelief (audio) \

Definition of disbelief

: the act of disbelieving : mental rejection of something as untrue
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Synonyms & Antonyms for disbelief

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Examples of disbelief in a Sentence

She stared at him in utter disbelief. their story explaining their absence was met with frank disbelief
Recent Examples on the Web Even with three months notice, Ginger recalled being in disbelief. — Grace Schneider, The Courier-Journal, "On the farm: One family's battle to save a livelihood after milking goes sour," 2 Jan. 2020 The singer chuckles as his dad slumps into the couch in disbelief. — Bisma Parvez, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit band I Prevail's singer pays off dad's mortgage for Christmas so he can retire," 30 Dec. 2019 When the call was changed, Day’s hands went to his head in disbelief. — Doug Lesmerises, cleveland, "Ohio State’s Fiesta Bowl loss to Clemson will live in anger," 29 Dec. 2019 David Lee sat on the scorer’s table and stared in disbelief at a stat sheet that seemed impossible and had always been. — Rusty Simmons, SFChronicle.com, "Memorable moments: Klay Thompson has a quarter for the ages," 23 Dec. 2019 Our heroes, Mike and Phyllis Watson, watch in disbelief as sea levels slowly rise, forcing their retreat to Cornwall (now an island), and causing the British government to flee to Harrogate. — Washington Post, "The novel that inspired ‘Blade Runner’ didn’t predict our current reality, but these writers did," 18 Dec. 2019 Michael Kaltenmark ‘overwhelmed’ by response David Woods, david.woods@indystar.com A year ago, Michael Kaltenmark found himself in disbelief after a visit with his doctor. — Chris Sims, Indianapolis Star, "Butler Blue handler Michael Kaltenmark finds kidney donor," 13 Dec. 2019 The feat left Jarrett Culver, a rookie with the Minnesota Timberwolves who in the spring helped Texas Tech reach the NCAA title game, seemingly in disbelief. — Jill Martin, CNN, "J.J. Culver, brother of NBA player Jarrett Culver, scored 100 points in a game for Wayland Baptist," 11 Dec. 2019 Roberto Solis was in disbelief Sunday morning that his son would have shot a police officer. — Gwendolyn Wu, Houston Chronicle, "Breaking: Father of alleged cop killer speaks out," 8 Dec. 2019

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

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First Known Use of disbelief

1672, in the meaning defined above

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Time Traveler for disbelief

Time Traveler

The first known use of disbelief was in 1672

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Statistics for disbelief

Last Updated

6 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Disbelief.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disbelief. Accessed 25 January 2020.

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More Definitions for disbelief

disbelief

noun
How to pronounce disbelief (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of disbelief

: a feeling that you do not or cannot believe or accept that something is true or real

See the full definition for disbelief in the English Language Learners Dictionary

disbelief

noun
dis·​be·​lief | \ ˌdis-bə-ˈlēf How to pronounce disbelief (audio) \

Kids Definition of disbelief

: refusal or inability to believe She watched in disbelief.

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More from Merriam-Webster on disbelief

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for disbelief

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with disbelief

Spanish Central: Translation of disbelief

Nglish: Translation of disbelief for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of disbelief for Arabic Speakers

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