disbelieve

verb

dis·​be·​lieve ˌdis-bə-ˈlēv 

disbelieved; disbelieving; disbelieves

transitive verb

: to hold not worthy of belief : not believe

intransitive verb

: to withhold or reject belief

disbeliever noun

Synonyms

• discredit
• negate

Examples of disbelieve in a Sentence

Several jurors disbelieved the witness's testimony.

many disbelieved the medium's claims that she could communicate with the spirits of the dead

Recent Examples on the Web

Many patients do not report these assaults, research shows, because of embarrassment or fear of being disbelieved as Ray was. —Gretchen Morgenson, NBC News, 18 Nov. 2024

Squeamish about facing up to disbelieving judges and protesting advocacy organizations, European leaders have dodged their obligations. —Jytte Klausen, Foreign Affairs, 16 Nov. 2015

For many women, and for Black women in particular, whose pain is systemically disbelieved and dismissed, childbirth in America is regularly life threatening and too often fatal. —Krista Vernoff, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2024

For a Black woman, being disbelieved so publicly by a white woman politician was an extra layer of fury. —Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1644, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

disbelieve

verb

dis·​be·​lieve ˌdis-bə-ˈlēv 

: to think not to be true or real : fail to believe

disbelieved the witness's testimony

disbeliever noun