disbelief

noun

dis·​be·​lief ˌdis-bə-ˈlēf 

: the act of disbelieving : mental rejection of something as untrue

Synonyms of disbelief

• skepticism
• doubt
• incredulity
• suspicion
• unbelief

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

Their father caught the moment on video and Keira beamed in disbelief after the swatting. —Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026

Rule is a writer torn between her sense of duty towards Ted Bundy’s victims and her own personal attachment and disbelief at his guilt. —Rebecca Hannigan, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026

Like all of us are in disbelief. —Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026

The cases in Blair’s book, however gruesome, catalogue methods that our species has used to manage terror, sorrow, and disbelief in the face of the irremediable and unpredictable arrival of death. —Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1639, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing disbelief

• suspend (one's) disbelief

Rhymes for disbelief

• cloverleaf
• leitmotif
• overleaf
• unbelief
• beef
• brief
• chief
• fief
• grief
• leaf
• lief
• reef

Kids Definition

disbelief

noun

dis·​be·​lief ˌdis-bə-ˈlēf 

: the act or state of disbelieving : mental rejection of something as untrue