beggar belief
Strain all credulity
To beggar belief is to strain credibility beyond its limits—to be so extraordinary that belief becomes impoverished trying to accommodate it.
The corruption we uncovered beggars belief.
The phrase is British in flavor and somewhat formal; Americans more often say something "defies belief" or is "unbelievable."
- not have a prayerLacking any chance
- implausibleUnlikely to be true
- inconceivableBeyond mental grasp
- hard to swallowDifficult to accept
- shockingCausing intense surprise
baffling · flabbergasting · preposterous · boggles the mind · mind-boggling · doubtful · ludicrous · absurd · stupefying · unheard-of · staggering · fantastical · too much to take · bewildering · remarkable · incredulous · phenomenal · outrageous