belie

verb
UK: /bɪˈlaɪ/
US: /bɪˈlaɪ/

  1. To give a false impression of something.

    1. Her calm face seemed to belie her true feelings inside. [ ] [ ]
    2. The facts of the case belie the defendant's innocent claims during the trial. [ ] [ ]

  2. To show something is not true, or to contradict.

    1. His actions belie his words of support for the team. [ ] [ ]
    2. The smile on his face did belie the worry in his eyes as he waited. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

mask disprove contradict misrepresent conceal
belie transitive-verb

  1. To fail to fulfill or justify (a hope or promise).

    1. The poor sales belied the company's high expectations. [ ] [ ]
    2. The athlete's performance did belie all the hype surrounding his debut. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "belie" in English means: To give a false impression of something., To show something is not true, or to contradict..

The phonetic transcription of "belie" is /bɪˈlaɪ/ in British English and /bɪˈlaɪ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "belie": mask, disprove, contradict, misrepresent, conceal.

Example usage of "belie": "Her calm face seemed to belie her true feelings inside.". More examples on the page.