belying

verb

present participle of belie
1
as in misrepresenting
to give a misleading impression of his bright smile belied his actual mood, which was really one of great sadness

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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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of belying Dawn ends the resurrection spell in response, belying her own statement. — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026 The image is whimsical, belying their instinct to flee the harsh world outside that tent, and through it, the audience gets to understand their psyche and innermost thoughts. — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 18 Aug. 2026 For most islanders—not to mention for most of us watching—the search for love is a false grail, belying a rabid, desperate host of social needs that actively undermine the pursuit. — Lillian Fishman, New Yorker, 27 June 2026 With Erik Spoelstra saying all the right things but belying them with his actions, the Kel’el Ware-Bam Adebayo pairing appeared to have a limited future. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 27 June 2026 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
  1. misrepresenting
  2. refuting
  3. obscuring
  4. concealing
  5. overturning
  6. hiding
  7. covering
  8. disguising
Verb
  • The lawsuit claimed State Farm violated state code over its practices toward additional living expense coverage, including by misrepresenting the terms of such coverage and by paying late.
    — Paris Barraza, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Reddington accused Grace of misrepresenting some of the facts related to some of Clancy’s Google searches.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of misrepresenting
Verb
  • Brittany Howard, the band’s lead singer and charismatic frontwoman, has spent much of the past decade refuting that notion.
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2026
  • So thankful to Alabama Athletics for refuting it on my behalf.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of refuting
Verb
  • Orwell was exploring the roles that euphemism, tangled syntax, and dying metaphors can play in obscuring the true intentions of a totalitarian state.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Forward vision is excellent because there’s no roof, A-pillars, or much of anything obscuring your view (the only model above the Signature Edition, called the Grand Touring, does include a roof of sorts).
    — William Roberson, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of obscuring
Verb
  • The thin, buildable formula is an especially good fit for anyone who wants to even out discoloration and soften the look of pores without concealing their skin beneath a heavy layer of makeup.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Some agents appeared interested in concealing their activity from people managing the website.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of concealing
Verb
  • The majority, once again overturning the conclusions of the lower courts, said that a challenge by some two dozen states was premature and that the states lacked standing because they weren’t harmed by the order.
    — Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
  • But a few months later, with McCurdy’s help, the organization had its first success overturning a state ban.
    — Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of overturning
Verb
  • However, researchers found that more than 15,000 of those edits had been made by AI agents that used the pages to share various tactics and tips for cheating, hacking, and hiding their behavior from human monitors.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2026
  • On rainy days when the sun is hiding and the temperatures are cool, consider these your emotional support pants.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of hiding
Verb
  • Both books combine new, headline-generating reporting with intel Wickersham has gathered over decades covering football.
    — Aaron Reiss, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • But since Harvey, then a senior at Oberlin College, was writing for the Oberlin Review, covering football was a rather tricky proposition.
    — Jesse Dougherty, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of covering
Verb
  • John is then abducted by a group led by an alien named Antaan, who tells him about the Manhunters—ancient synthetic predecessors to the Green Lantern Corps capable of disguising themselves as other species.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Pitchers are disguising their four-seamers up with more cutters in than ever before, so just advising him to be more aggressive in the zone is not good enough.
    — Eno Sarris, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of disguising

Browse Nearby Words

belvederes
belying
bemire
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Cite this Entry

“Belying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belying. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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