as in skeptical
inclined to doubt or question claims
the senator stated her case before a disbelieving press corps
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in denying
to think not to be true or real
many disbelieved the medium's claims that she could communicate with the spirits of the dead
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disbelieving
John Wrory Ficklin, Time, 11 Feb. 2026
The higher-ups are disbelieving, but Alex points out that the network has a fancy new AI that can replicate her voice in a zillion languages.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 24 Sep. 2025
Pearl, Dale’s adult daughter, vacillates between disbelieving that her father committed suicide and blaming her mother for it.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
When Mom reached Dad on the telephone in the White House pantry to commiserate over the earth-shattering news, Dad’s response was disbelieving.
—John Wrory Ficklin, Time, 11 Feb. 2026
The higher-ups are disbelieving, but Alex points out that the network has a fancy new AI that can replicate her voice in a zillion languages.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 24 Sep. 2025
Pearl, Dale’s adult daughter, vacillates between disbelieving that her father committed suicide and blaming her mother for it.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disbelieving
Adjective
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By threading the needle, OpenAI found a way to placate both the Pentagon and its own employees, many of whom are skeptical of AI use in the military.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
28 Feb. 2026
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That’s left some industry executives skeptical that Paramount will make good on its promise to increase its output of streaming programming, while making 30 theatrical film releases a year, the most of any studio by a wide margin.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dropped the hammer on Anthropic Friday for denying the military ‘unobstructed’ access to its AI models.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
28 Feb. 2026
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In fact, praying to saints or ancestors elevated them above the status of mere mortals, effectively denying the singular might of God.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Others didn’t want to hear explanation, suspicious of a larger culture that considers anti-Blackness the usual weather, on some psychic level, basically tolerable.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
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This ritual has taken on new meaning now that my parents received word from their doctor on the same day, that Mother has Stage 4 cancer and Father has a suspicious spot on his pancreas.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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On Friday night, there was no doubting these Thomases.—
Gary Curreri,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2026
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Novo is hoping CagriSema can beef up future sales, but after the latest trial results, analysts are increasingly doubting its commercial potential.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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One day, the elusive Seth meets the equally alluring but totally living doctor Maggie (Meg Ryan), who is suspicious and unbelieving of the mystical wonders of this world.—
Nathan Smith,
Vulture,
14 Feb. 2024
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As punishment, God confines them to the desert for 40 years, until the unbelieving generation ...—
Madeleine Kearns,
National Review,
10 Sep. 2023
Adjective
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Fellow vegans in the comments were incredulous — what of the bear cub carcass Kennedy claimed to have dumped in Central Park or his lifelong interest in hunting?—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
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The Canadian curlers looked incredulous and angry.—
STEVE DOUGLAS,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Other critics are taking a more cautious approach.—
Arielle Zionts,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
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Lujan Grisham wraps up her tenure next year, and state lawmakers wary of unchecked spending opted during the legislative session that ended last month to take a cautious approach.—
Morgan Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disbelieving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disbelieving. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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