HOW TO PRONOUNCE
belie
/bɪˈlaɪ/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:39
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What does belie mean?
verb
- To give a false representation of.
- To contradict, to show (something) to be false.
- To conceal the contradictory or ironic presence of (something).
More meanings (7)
verb
- To show, evince or demonstrate (something) to be present, particularly something deemed contradictory or ironic.
- (dated) To lie around; encompass.
- (obsolete) To surround; beleaguer.
- (archaic) To tell lies about.
- (rare) To call a liar; to accuse of falsehood.
- (rare) To fill with lies; to lie to.
- (obsolete) To mimic; to counterfeit.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/bɪˈlaɪ/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
Then they became friendly, and played about in the nervous, half-coy way with which fierce beasts belie their fierceness.
However, a warm savory steam from the kitchen served to belie the apparently cheerless prospect before us.
More book examples (3)
Not that he wished to be less well-appearing, but that he was ashamed to belie his appearance by incongruous appeals.
Nor did his character belie his looks, as no one was better able to render himself both loved and feared.
But the swamp sparrows frequently belie their name, and, especially in the South, live in dry fields, worn-out pasture lands with scrubby, weedy patches in them.