as in skepticism
refusal to accept something as true
their story explaining their absence was met with frank disbelief
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disbelief
Seeing people's faces change from confusion to disbelief to smiles (and possibly some relief) provided payback for hauling up those heavy packs.
—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
After the crash, Liam remembers waking up in disbelief.
—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
22 June 2026
Moneybagg Yo shared his disbelief on his Instagram Stories.
—
Christine Imarenezor,
VIBE.com,
19 June 2026
The cameras panned to England fans in the stands celebrating wildly but also wearing looks of disbelief, a feeling which only increased when Sheringham made it 4-0 shortly afterwards.
—
The Athletic Uk Staff,
New York Times,
18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for disbelief
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
After the crash, Liam remembers waking up in disbelief.
—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
22 June 2026
Moneybagg Yo shared his disbelief on his Instagram Stories.
—
Christine Imarenezor,
VIBE.com,
19 June 2026
The cameras panned to England fans in the stands celebrating wildly but also wearing looks of disbelief, a feeling which only increased when Sheringham made it 4-0 shortly afterwards.
—
The Athletic Uk Staff,
New York Times,
18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for disbelief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disbelief
Noun
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Humans are hardwired to resist change, so implementing new technologies is often met with skepticism or pushback.
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For decades, African football has faced criticism and skepticism, often based on unfounded racial stereotypes.
Noun
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The prosecutor’s office, taking a fresh look at the murder, learned the lead investigator shared those doubts.
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Caicedo has made a name for himself as a regular starter for Chelsea in recent years — and his appearance in the Champions League leaves no doubt about his experience in high stakes matches.
Noun
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Hoffman’s mother, when Scheiber later speaks to her, is well acquainted with this flavor of incredulity.
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Russell plays the fool wonderfully as Fairchild's suffering boyfriend, reacting to the increasingly bizarre events as most of us would, with incredulity and swearing, and there are some brilliant sight gags sprinkled throughout the film.
Noun
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Colonists down south, especially fierce New England Protestants who took a dim view of Catholicism, viewed this act – and their new fellow imperial subjects – with dismay and considerable suspicion.
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So, if a package came to Eunice from the John Smith account, wouldn’t there be some sort of suspicion surrounding the package from a man who is either on the run or, um, dead?
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.
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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.
Cite this Entry
“Disbelief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disbelief. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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