belie
verb
be·lie
| \ bi-ˈlī
, bē-\
, bē-\
belied;
belying
Definition of belie
1a
: to give a false impression of
Her gentleness belies her strength.
b
: to present an appearance not in agreement with
His manner and appearance belie his age.
2a
: to show (something) to be false or wrong
The evidence belies their claims of innocence.
b
: to run counter to : contradict
… appeared to belie all the rosy things I had heard about it.— Katherine T. Kinkead
3
: disguise sense 3
An air of rural charm … belies the community's industrial activity. — American Guide Series: Pennsylvania
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Other Words from belie
belier
\ bi-ˈlī(-ə)r
, bē- \
noun
, bē- \
noun
Examples of belie in a Sentence
a tree whose delicate beauty belies its real toughness
Their actions belie their claim to be innocent.
Recent Examples on the Web
Both Padres rookies have a presence — even a prescience — that belies their age and experience level. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Padres notes: Quantrill, Tatis get it done; Urias’ perfect night; Morejon to open," 28 July 2019 But there’s a cultural issue here that belies not the pipeline, but the entire system that the pipeline operates in. — Allyson Kapin, Quartz, "We’ve debunked tech’s “pipeline problem.” So why aren’t more women getting funding?," 24 July 2019 This shows that causality is an intensely practical concept that belies mathematical fairness. — Quanta Magazine, "Solution: ‘The Slippery Math of Causation’," 29 June 2018 For boutique bargains: Divan Bodrum Divan Bodrum, on the northern tip of Türkbükü, exudes an easy trendiness that belies its affordability and its 60 rooms are decorated in soothing pastel tones. — Chris Leadbeater, National Geographic, "Discover Turkey’s under-the-radar seaside paradise," 14 Aug. 2019 Patricia Konstam’s friends remember the groundbreaking San Antonio journalist for her unassuming nature that belied stellar accomplishments and numerous professional and civic accolades. — Vincent T. Davis, ExpressNews.com, "Local journalists, book lovers celebrate life of groundbreaking San Antonio journalist," 9 Aug. 2019 His ability to make alterations at a rate that belie his age and experience are evidenced in his .324 batting average and .388 on-base percentage. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. breaking through rookie wall," 22 July 2019 But Jones, the history museum curator, said he was heartened to learn that in the midst of the unprecedented racial rancor, scenes played out that belied the strife. — William Lee, chicagotribune.com, "‘Ready to explode’: How a black boy’s drifting raft triggered a deadly week of riots 100 years ago in Chicago," 19 July 2019 Nickel Boys eases itself back and forth between Elwood’s and Turner’s perspectives with a deceptive seamlessness that belies how fundamental their disagreement is. — Constance Grady, Vox, "Colson Whitehead’s spare, riveting, horrifying Nickel Boys," 18 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'belie.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for belie
belie
verb
English Language Learners Definition of belie
formal
: to give a false idea of (something)
: to show (something) to be false or wrong
See the full definition for belie in the English Language Learners Dictionary
belie
verb
be·lie
| \ bi-ˈlī
\
\
belied;
belying
Kids Definition of belie
1
: to give a false idea of
Her voice was strong and even, belying her eighty-two years.— Kevin Henkes, Olive's Ocean
2
: to show to be false
Their actions belie their claim of innocence.
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