1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

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

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

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
  • Settlement talks collapsed in late August after Bonta accused Paramount of leaking and misrepresenting their discussions.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • At that public meeting, several parents said Adams should have been fired for misleading them and misrepresenting the condition of the Earl Warren ATP facilities.
    — Marsha Sutton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 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
  • The moonphase displayed is not created by partially obscuring an image of the Moon, but by the continuous movement of the two, illustrating the time elapsed between one new moon and the next full moon.
    — Carol Besler, Robb Report, 15 Sep. 2026
  • But now, new research has found asteroids and comets that have bombarded Mercury have created debris obscuring just how much Mercury has shrunk.
    — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of obscuring
Verb
  • The Quebec duo’s face-concealing masks, geometrical hats and polka-dot fashion schemes might scream novelty, but its virtuosic, largely instrumental fare is the genuine article.
    — Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
  • This flattering style smooths the neck, concealing wrinkles and adding definition to the jawline by hiding a double chin or loose skin.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of concealing
Verb
  • As well as overturning the 2024 standards, the EPA is proposing to roll back its authority to regulate climate pollution from power plants.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Kavanaugh wrote an opinion in 2012 overturning the terrorism conviction of a driver and bodyguard for Osama bin Laden.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of overturning
Verb
  • Who would’ve thought, for example, that Wallace was constantly hiding behind the lens of his trusty camera as a way to numb himself to the horrors of the world?
    — Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The horror heads are hyped, but this scaredy-cat will be hiding in the corner.
    — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of hiding
Verb
  • By the end, both characters are thoroughly stranded, almost as if the series creators finally realized that the people covering the story weren’t the real story after having already committed in that direction.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2026
  • In 2012, Lynn was covering an incident in Hollywood for KTLA when his helicopter started to smoke heavily.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Belying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belying. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of elegiac

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All