as in skepticism
refusal to accept something as true
their story explaining their absence was met with frank disbelief
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Recent Examples of disbelief
Witnesses watched in disbelief as large orange flames shot out of the second floor.
—
Jeff Capellini, CBS News, 12 May 2026
Muncy could only put his hands up in disbelief.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Days after the shooting stunned Shreveport, a whirlwind of police lights, camera crews and grieving relatives swarmed the neighborhood where the killings unfolded, the streets vibrating with sirens, the air shrouded in questions and disbelief.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
My reaction bordered on disbelief.
—Chiara Barzini, Vogue, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for disbelief
Jeff Capellini, CBS News, 12 May 2026
Muncy could only put his hands up in disbelief.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Days after the shooting stunned Shreveport, a whirlwind of police lights, camera crews and grieving relatives swarmed the neighborhood where the killings unfolded, the streets vibrating with sirens, the air shrouded in questions and disbelief.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
My reaction bordered on disbelief.
—Chiara Barzini, Vogue, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for disbelief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disbelief
Noun
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Enthusiasm for Harris and skepticism about her viability in 2028 aren’t mutually exclusive, said the former Harris fundraiser.—
Justine McDaniel,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
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The group, founded in 2019 to counter rising skepticism on the left toward the Jewish state, endorsed Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains for the seat in February.—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
9 May 2026
Noun
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The election drubbing cemented doubts among many Labor lawmakers about Starmer’s judgment, vision and leadership ability — a brutal indictment on a leader who returned the party to power in July 2024 after 14 years in opposition.—
Danica Kirka,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
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When in doubt, turn to Dries Van Noten’s polka-dot-print pareo.—
Laura Jackson,
Vogue,
14 May 2026
Noun
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When Sjogran, three months after her appointment, opted to sack former manager Gareth Taylor just five days before City’s League Cup final against Chelsea before facing them again in the UWCL quarter-finals, the outside world responded with incredulity and derision.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
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His incredulity about their increasingly risky adventures—this is the one that involves a Pontiac Fiero in outer space—becomes one of the film’s running gags.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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On May 9th, Silvia and Guojun were arrested on suspicion of child endangerment, and their children were taken into foster care.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
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Beyond that, the identification of the killer also has allowed families who lived for so long under the dark cloud of suspicion to heal and brought some relief to a woman Gaff attacked before the murders.—
Nina Giraldo,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
Noun
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But in drawing upon those exact fields of study to reverse the long-term march toward unbelief, the authors appear to have missed the mechanism by which those prior discoveries eroded faith: namely, that people had staked their belief on evidence that was overturned by subsequent data.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
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My own passage into and back out of unbelief—one marked by a close reading of works that earlier illiberal societies had attempted to suppress on religious grounds—has strengthened my liberal commitments.—
Christopher Beha,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disbelief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disbelief. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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