Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

unbelief

/ʌnbɪˈliːf/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.53 in modern English

Syllables: un-be-lief
IPA: /ʌnbɪˈliːf/

13

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An absence (or rejection) of belief, especially religious belief.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"And he coulde there ſhewe no myracles butt leyd his hondꝭ apon a feawe ſicke foolke ãd healed thẽ. And he merveyled at their vnbelefe."
"On hands and knees he looked at the empty siding and up at the sunfilled sky with unbelief and despair."
"Soon Spinoza was regarded as the standard-bearer for unbelief, even though pervading his carefully-worded writings there is a clear notion of a divine spirit inhabiting the world, and a profound sense of wonder and reverence for mystery."

Etymology

From Middle English unbilefe, unbileve, equivalent to un- + belief.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Prefix: un
Root: unbilefe

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ʌnbɪˈliːf/

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

unbeliefs (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

disbelief doubt

Synonyms

disbelief

Questions

How do you pronounce unbelief?: The recorded pronunciation is /ʌnbɪˈliːf/.
What does unbelief mean?: An absence (or rejection) of belief, especially religious belief.
Where does unbelief come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce unbelief

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “unbelief”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ʌnbɪˈliːf/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “unbelief”.
Repeat and practice — Say “unbelief” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.