1
as in misrepresenting
to give a misleading impression of
his bright smile belied his actual mood, which was really one of great sadness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in refuting
to prove to be false
the latest information belies the old theory
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in obscuring
to keep secret or shut off from view
the security council issued false assurances that belied the true gravity of the situation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of belying
Then Danielle and Michèle dance, with a casual tenderness belying how charged the moment is for Michèle.
—
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2025
Inside, its luxurious custom leather seats and carbon fiber trim transform the Shelby into a quality cabin belying its F-150 roots.
—Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
On an unremarkable clay tennis court in the Spanish city of Alicante, watched on by only a handful of spectators, two teenagers swipe the ball to one another with surprising vigor, belying their scrawny, adolescent frames.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2025
Henry communicates the weight of Ray’s past with a flicker in his gaze and a shadow that falls over his face, belying the easy confidence established by the character’s introduction.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2025
Adem Zorgane has long been a statistical anomaly in Belgian football, his incredible passing numbers belying his position at the heart of a distinctly mid-table side.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2025
Inside, its luxurious custom leather seats and carbon fiber trim transform the Shelby into a quality cabin belying its F-150 roots.
—Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
On an unremarkable clay tennis court in the Spanish city of Alicante, watched on by only a handful of spectators, two teenagers swipe the ball to one another with surprising vigor, belying their scrawny, adolescent frames.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2025
Henry communicates the weight of Ray’s past with a flicker in his gaze and a shadow that falls over his face, belying the easy confidence established by the character’s introduction.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2025
Adem Zorgane has long been a statistical anomaly in Belgian football, his incredible passing numbers belying his position at the heart of a distinctly mid-table side.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belying
Verb
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At a forum held in July 2017, parents directed their frustrations at Eric Dill, SDUHSD’s superintendent at the time, several saying Adams should have been fired for misleading them and misrepresenting the condition of the Earl Warren ATP facilities.—
Marsha Sutton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Oct. 2025
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Then later, after Flores had died, the litigation accuses Freedman of publicly defending himself by betraying attorney-client confidences and misrepresenting the merits of Flores’ own case in the media.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Michaels took to her Instagram days after the release of Fit for TV to post a series of screenshots of text chains, email threads, and other pieces of documentation refuting or otherwise complicating each claim leveled at her.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Oct. 2025
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Health experts and medical organizations are refuting claims of a link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism.—
Beth Warren,
Nashville Tennessean,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Conversely, when the environment is very well-lit—especially by direct light sources like overhead or wall lamps—the glossy finish of the panel tends to reflect the sources, obscuring the picture in the process.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
21 Oct. 2025
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The department, run by State Superintendent Jill Underly, relies on a rudimentary system to track its investigations, obscuring the scale of misconduct for policymakers and the public.—
Danielle DuClos,
jsonline.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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These participants, who, like those in our COVID-19 study, prioritized a symbolic show of strength, were more likely to believe in other kinds of misinformation and conspiracies, too, such as that the government is concealing evidence of alien contact.—
Abraham Rutchick,
The Conversation,
15 Oct. 2025
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What begins as a crime caper morphs into an unexpected rom-com as Jeff spends more time with Leigh’s family and even joins her local church, all while concealing his real identity and living behind a display of bicycles at Leigh’s workplace.—
Keaton Bell,
Vogue,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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To respond, Barrett explained the doctrine of stare decisis and the considerations that go into overturning precedent like reliance interests — or important things that would be called into question if a law or ruling no longer existed.—
Samantha Riedel,
Them.,
20 Oct. 2025
-
The Court appears poised to extend this reasoning further, potentially overturning , which has protected independent agency officials from at-will removal for nearly ninety years.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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He was deported back to Afghanistan and lives in hiding with his parents, who are also musicians.—
Vidushi Mishti Sharma,
Rolling Stone,
24 Oct. 2025
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This year, she has been invited to spend the holidays with family friends, the Sterlings, a wealthy family who appears to be hiding enough secrets to stuff a sleigh.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Protest-goers told the Idaho Statesman about a variety of motivations for showing up, mostly covering civil liberties — rights for immigrants, women and transgender people — and Trump’s authoritarian actions.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
19 Oct. 2025
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Remigration in action CNN reporter Barbie Latza Nadeau has spent years covering immigration and tracing the rise of the far right in Italian politics.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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According to investigators, the occupants were seeking to enter the country to find work and had set sail from Weihai, Shandong Province, disguising themselves as anglers with fishing rods.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
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On disguising combination moves behind an initial setup.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Belying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belying. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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