Meaning & use
disbelief
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Meanings
noununcountable
The state of being unable or unwilling to accept that something is true, usually because it is surprising, shocking or hard to imagine.
Grammar: No plural and no article needed: she stared in disbelief.
Patterns
- in disbelief
- with disbelief
- disbelief at something
He read the email twice in disbelief before telling anyone.
There was a gasp of disbelief when the winning number was announced.
She shook her head with disbelief at the size of the bill.
noununcountableformal
A deliberate choice not to accept a claim, idea or belief as true, often as a matter of principle.
Grammar: Used for a settled attitude, often with a belief as target: disbelief in miracles.
Patterns
- disbelief in something
Her disbelief in ghosts made her the calmest person in the haunted house.
The professor's open disbelief in the theory annoyed its authors.
Some critics met the claims with flat disbelief rather than argument.
Common combinations
- stare in disbelief
- The children stared in disbelief as the magician pulled a rabbit from the hat.
- shake your head in disbelief
- He shook his head in disbelief when he saw the final score.
- suspend disbelief
- A good fantasy film makes you suspend disbelief for two hours.
- look at someone with disbelief
- She looked at her brother with disbelief when he said he had sold the car.
- utter disbelief
- The news was met with utter disbelief across the village.
- gasp of disbelief
- A gasp of disbelief ran through the audience.
Synonyms and how they differ
- incredulity
- Incredulity is more formal and usually describes the reaction of someone who finds a claim too strange to accept, whereas disbelief can also be a quiet shock.
- astonishment
- Astonishment stresses surprise itself, while disbelief adds the sense that you cannot accept what you see or hear.
- scepticism
- Scepticism is a doubting attitude that wants proof, while disbelief is often an immediate reaction or a firm rejection.
Opposites
Word family
- disbelieve verb
- to refuse to accept something as true
- disbelieving adjective
- showing that you do not believe something
- disbelievingly adverb
- in a way that shows you do not believe
- unbelievable adjective
- too surprising or extreme to be believed
- belief noun
- the feeling that something is true
Commonly confused: disbelief or unbelief?
disbelief vs unbelief
Unbelief usually means lack of religious faith, while disbelief is the reaction to a particular claim or event.
Practice
When the lottery results came in, Maya looked at the ticket in ____ and checked it again.
Choose one answer.
After the preposition in we need a noun, and disbelief fits the idea of being unable to accept the news. Disbelieve is a verb and unbelievable is an adjective, so neither works after in.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “disbelief”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.