as in disbelief
refusal to accept something as true
a natural-born skeptic, she typically greets the latest conspiracy theory with head-shaking unbelief
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Recent Examples of unbelief
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
But the indirect benefits seem to reflect a posture against green energy, related to unbelief in climate change, and these lead to support for inefficient energy alternatives like nuclear and geothermal and gas-fired turbines.
—Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
The historical abnormality of modern-day unbelief was a theme of Pope Benedict XVI’s in the years before, during, and after his pontificate.
—Katherine Howell, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023
It’s been a bit of unbelief.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2021
His Dark Materials is a kind of romance of unbelief.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2019
When you have been taught, commanded even, to build your entire life around a community, the cost of unbelief is considerable.
—Amber Scorah, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Aug. 2019
This problem of unbelief has plagued reformers for decades.
—Ervand Abrahamian, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2016
Christopher Beha, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026
But the indirect benefits seem to reflect a posture against green energy, related to unbelief in climate change, and these lead to support for inefficient energy alternatives like nuclear and geothermal and gas-fired turbines.
—Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
The historical abnormality of modern-day unbelief was a theme of Pope Benedict XVI’s in the years before, during, and after his pontificate.
—Katherine Howell, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023
It’s been a bit of unbelief.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2021
His Dark Materials is a kind of romance of unbelief.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2019
When you have been taught, commanded even, to build your entire life around a community, the cost of unbelief is considerable.
—Amber Scorah, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Aug. 2019
This problem of unbelief has plagued reformers for decades.
—Ervand Abrahamian, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unbelief
Noun
-
At breakfast with her brother and his fiancée, the moment quickly shifted from casual concern to disbelief.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
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New recipe for sustainable hydrogen While running a control experiment — a test meant to show what shouldn’t work — the team watched in disbelief as the basic mixture began bubbling with energy.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Chastain ended the lengthy note with a hint of skepticism about whether the series would ever air at all.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
19 Apr. 2026
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The data so far supports some of Lehane’s skepticism about the extreme predictions.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Morgan has found a lot of success wheeling-and-dealing in his first two drafts in the general manager seat, no doubt.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Apr. 2026
-
That was compounded by doubts, both within the club and among those close to the player, over his long-term future — largely due to those injury problems.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unbelief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unbelief. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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