belie

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitiveformal

   To show that something is not true, usually by being different from what it seems.

   Grammar: Needs an object: his smile belied his sadness.

   Patterns

   • belie something
   • belie the idea that something

   His calm voice belied his nervousness.

   The shabby coat belied her wealth.

   These results belie the claim that sales are falling.

2. 2verbtransitiveformal

   To give a false picture of something so that it is not what it seems.

   Grammar: Often with appearance as the subject.

   Patterns

   • belie one's age

   Her youthful energy belies her age.

   The quiet street belies its violent history.

   The small size of the shop belies its popularity.

Word forms

Common combinations

belie one's age

His spry step belies his age.

belie appearances

The calm surface belies the chaos below.

belie the claim

The data belie the claim.

belie a smile

A forced smile belied her worry.

belie its reputation

The tour belied its reputation as boring.

Synonyms and how they differ

contradict

Contradict states that something conflicts with a statement, while belie shows that a surface impression is misleading.

disguise

Disguise means to hide on purpose, but belie happens without intention.

misrepresent

Misrepresent means to give a wrong account, usually by a person, while belie is often a thing that fails to match.

disprove

Disprove shows an idea to be false with proof, whereas belie suggests a mismatch.

Opposites

Word family

lie noun

a false statement

belief noun

something you accept as true

belier noun

a rare word for one who belies

Commonly confused: belie or betray? belie or believe?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “belie”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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