belies

verb

present tense third-person singular of belie
1
as in misrepresents
to give a misleading impression of his bright smile belied his actual mood, which was really one of great sadness

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2
as in refutes
to prove to be false the latest information belies the old theory

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in conceals
to keep secret or shut off from view the security council issued false assurances that belied the true gravity of the situation

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of belies The lush grass blanketing this scenic Texas field belies the grisly horrors discovered underneath and the agonizing mystery that has tormented families for decades – until now. — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026 Its basic design belies its versatility and importance, from flipping items in a pan to scraping a bowl to preserve ingredients. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026 The consistency of Rojas’ production belies how aggressively he’s been promoted throughout his career. — Tim Britton, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026 The 187-horsepower engine is perfectly adequate for ordinary driving, but the XRT’s tougher appearance belies a lack of cojones. — Josh Max, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Fired at the highest temperatures of any ceramic, its thin, delicate build also belies its versatility and durability. — Angela Tafoya, Architectural Digest, 21 Aug. 2026 And Reid, the fourth-winningest coach in NFL history, was burning to get after it to a degree that belies his understated public persona. — Kansas City Star, 19 Aug. 2026 Every cubic inch has been capitalized on, giving the yacht a sense of openness and grandeur that belies its overall length. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 14 Aug. 2026 With his bushy beard and a grumpy demeanor that belies a tender-hearted soul, Neill was destined to play a role like Hector. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 13 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belies
  1. misrepresents
  2. refutes
  3. conceals
  4. obscures
  5. hides
Verb
  • If the public agrees with the FTC’s plan, personalized pricing could be found to violate the FTC Act when a seller misrepresents a price as static or widely available when it is actually personalized.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Still, that correction has been used to manipulate the study data in a way that significantly misrepresents miscarriage risk associated with Covid-19 vaccinations.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of misrepresents
Verb
  • In his Facebook post, Khrzhanovsky refutes or qualifies the various accusations made against him and his film.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026
  • History refutes the myth of the individual genius because innovations are collaborative and cultural.
    — Michael Muthukrishna, Fortune, 23 July 2026
Definition of refutes
Verb
  • The snail’s diminutive size, however, conceals a massive secret.
    — Carrie Arnold Contributing, Quanta Magazine, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Co-created by Amber Noizumi and Michael Green, Blue Eye Samurai follows the story of Mizu, a samurai who conceals her gender and mixed-race heritage after facing a life of discrimination, on a personal quest for revenge.
    — Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of conceals
Verb
  • Eclipses always travel in pairs as the sun, moon and Earth align so precisely that one obscures the other.
    — Marcia Dunn, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Rather than blocking the sun entirely, the moon obscures only a portion of it, leaving behind the eclipse's signature crescent shape.
    — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of obscures
Verb
  • Walruses were once hunted in vast numbers, for their blubber, hides and ivory, driving them close to extinction in Svalbard’s waters, before hunting was banned in 1952.
    — Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • There clearly continues to be something very evocative about the idea that all the mundane pop-culture ephemera from one’s youth hides something darker.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of hides

Browse Nearby Words

beliefs
belies
believability
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Cite this Entry

“Belies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belies. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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