as in skepticism
refusal to accept something as true
their story explaining their absence was met with frank disbelief
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disbelief
New recipe for sustainable hydrogen While running a control experiment — a test meant to show what shouldn’t work — the team watched in disbelief as the basic mixture began bubbling with energy.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 17 Apr. 2026
Opposition politicians expressed disbelief that Starmer could have been unaware Mandelson had failed security vetting.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
While back in Melrose Park, neighbors were in disbelief.
—Jermont Terry, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Alba walked off in disbelief, holding his head in his hands.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disbelief
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 17 Apr. 2026
Opposition politicians expressed disbelief that Starmer could have been unaware Mandelson had failed security vetting.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
While back in Melrose Park, neighbors were in disbelief.
—Jermont Terry, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Alba walked off in disbelief, holding his head in his hands.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disbelief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disbelief
Noun
-
So far, that skepticism has appeared justified.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
There’s plenty of skepticism that would or could ever take place.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Salt Lake County district attorney’s office and the Draper City prosecutor both declined to file charges against Paul in April, citing insufficient evidence to prove allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.—
Senior Television,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
There’s a bit of bad dream and doubt, and a bit of songwriting tips and tricks.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His incredulity about their increasingly risky adventures—this is the one that involves a Pontiac Fiero in outer space—becomes one of the film’s running gags.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Many of us have spent the past 15 months focused on chaos and bouts of incredulity, if not insanity.—
Donna Vickroy,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The elder DeCosta had other suspicions.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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The officers had transported the suspect, who had been arrested on suspicion of robbery, to the hospital for observation.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But in drawing upon those exact fields of study to reverse the long-term march toward unbelief, the authors appear to have missed the mechanism by which those prior discoveries eroded faith: namely, that people had staked their belief on evidence that was overturned by subsequent data.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
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My own passage into and back out of unbelief—one marked by a close reading of works that earlier illiberal societies had attempted to suppress on religious grounds—has strengthened my liberal commitments.—
Christopher Beha,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disbelief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disbelief. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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