belie
Give wrong impression
Belie means to give a false impression of something, usually by contradicting what you'd expect: Her calm demeanor belied her inner turmoil.
The word suggests a surface that misrepresents what lies beneath—a cheerful tone that belies sadness, statistics that belie the real story.
Less commonly, belie means to prove false or contradict directly: Events belied his predictions.
Face-worn concealment
- disguiseIdentity-concealing alteration
- hideConceal or pelt
- obscureUnknown to most
- cloakSleeveless outer wrap
veil · camouflage · shroud · cover · misrepresent · distort · gloss over · whitewash
Prove something untrue
- refuteProve something untrue
- negateCancel or disprove
- contradictDispute a statement
- debunkExpose as false
invalidate · discredit · rebut · falsify · contravene · counter · gainsay · confound
mask
Face-worn concealment
cloak · veil · camouflage · shroud · cover · misrepresent · distort · gloss over · whitewash · paper over
disprove
Prove something untrue
- refuteProve something untrue
- negateCancel or disprove
- contradictDispute a statement
debunk · invalidate · discredit · rebut · falsify · contravene · counter · gainsay · confound · expose
- believe meAssertion of honesty
- believe inAccept as true
- believe it or notPreface to something improbable
- make believeImaginative fantasy play
- hard to believeDifficult to accept as true
- beyond beliefImpossible to credit
belief, believe, believing, unbelievable, believer, disbelief, believable, believers, disbelieve