belie

verb

be·​lie bi-ˈlī 

bē-

belied; belying

transitive verb

1

a

: 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.

2

a

: 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

belier

bi-ˈlī(-ə)r 

bē-

noun

Did you know?

"What is a lie?" asks Lord Byron in Don Juan. He then answers himself: "'Tis but the truth in masquerade...." The history of belie illustrates a certain connection between lying and masquerading as something other than one is. In Old English, belie meant "to deceive by lying," but in time, it came to mean "to tell lies about," taking on a sense similar to that of the modern word slander. Eventually, its meaning softened, shifting from an act of outright lying to one of mere misrepresentation; by the 1700s, the word was being used in the sense "to disguise or conceal." Nowadays, belie is typically applied when someone or something gives an impression that is in disagreement with the facts, rather than in contexts where there is an intentional untruth. A happy face put on to set others at ease, for example, may belie an internal disgruntlement.

Synonyms

• misrepresent

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

While Russian forces have recently advanced short distances on the northern edge of the Kursk salient as well in eastern Ukraine, these modest gains belie the Russians’ increasingly precarious position. —David Axe, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024

The city’s suburbs have a peaceful veneer that belies the tensions on the ground. —Julia Preston, The New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2024

In the years after that, Logan—whose intense, reptilian demeanor belies presidential aspirations—moved into the scripted battling of WWE. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 20 Nov. 2024

This is a corrupt prosecution that belies any sense of the facts or the law. —Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 14 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English belien, going back to Old English belēogan, from be- be- + lēogan "to lie entry 3"

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

belie

verb

be·​lie bi-ˈlī 

belied; belying

1

: to give a false idea of

her looks belied her age

2

: to show to be false

their actions belie their claim to be innocent

belier noun