51Թ

Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for

disbelief

[ dis-bi-leef ]

noun

  1. the inability or refusal to believe or to accept something as true.
  2. We stared at the Taj Mahal in disbelief.



disbelief

/ ˌɪɪˈː /

noun

  1. refusal or reluctance to believe
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

51Թ History and Origins

Origin of disbelief1

First recorded in 1665–75; dis- 1 + belief
Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

  1. suspension of disbelief, the implicit convention requiring a reader, spectator, etc., to set aside their usual criteria for judging the reality or credibility of an experience in order to be be fully immersed in a fictional or fantastic reality: According to Coleridge, enlightened readers could still enjoy literature about the supernatural because of the phenomenon he named “willing suspension of disbelief.”

    The absurd plot in the last episode stretched our suspension of disbelief to the breaking point.

    According to Coleridge, enlightened readers could still enjoy literature about the supernatural because of the phenomenon he named “willing suspension of disbelief.”

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He told The Times: "I was just in complete disbelief. It was just unfathomable to me that things had escalated to this degree."

From

Standing on a bridge a short distance from the scene, under the orange glow of the sky, a group of reporters, including myself, look on in disbelief at the three-storey-high piles of concrete.

From

Even in that context, the way they have dealt with Lawson has caused widespread disbelief in Formula 1.

From

"When they told me that this man had not left Nigeria, I said, 'No, that's not possible.' Because when you hear him speak, everything is American," he says in disbelief.

From

Speaking to BBC Radio Bristol's John Darvall, she recalled her disbelief when she made 200 sales within six minutes of launching.

From

Advertisement

Related 51Թs

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement