Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

disbelieve

/dɪsbɪˈliːv/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.51 in modern English

Syllables: dis-be-lieve
IPA: /dɪsbɪˈliːv/

16

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To not believe; to exercise disbelief.

verb

To actively deny (a statement, opinion or perception).

verb

To cease to believe.

Example Sentences

"If you disbelieve such people, then keep disbelieving them for as long as you live or want."
"And the Lisbonites did not more disbelieve in, and dream less of their coming ruin, than Cecil did his, […]"
"He chose to disbelieve the bad news as inconceivable."
"And so far as this opinion prevails, we have reason to fear that the important doctrine, of the real Divinity and even of the humanity of Christ, will be gradually disbelieved."
"Elfrida walked slowly upstairs, reviewing what had happened and not happened in the last three, not to say six weeks, and gradually disbelieving the good case that she had made out."
"He never "revolted" against Christianity; only, reluctantly and gradually, disbelieved it."

Etymology

Coined circa 1640, from dis- + believe. Compare misbelieve.

Word Breakdown

Prefix: dis

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /dɪsbɪˈliːv/

Inflected Forms

disbelieves (present, singular) disbelieving (participle, present) disbelieved (participle, past) disbelieved (past)

Derived Forms

disbelievable disbeliever

Frequently Paired Words

disbelief

Synonyms

misbelieve discredit

Antonyms

believe

Rhymes With

believe leave we've receive steve achieve eve sleeve relieve naive perceive retrieve

Questions

How do you pronounce disbelieve?: The recorded pronunciation is /dɪsbɪˈliːv/.
What does disbelieve mean?: To not believe; to exercise disbelief.
Where does disbelieve come from?: Coined circa 1640, from dis- + believe. Compare misbelieve.

How to pronounce disbelieve

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Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/dɪsbɪˈliːv/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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