as in skepticism
refusal to accept something as true
their story explaining their absence was met with frank disbelief
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disbelief
Witnesses watched in disbelief as large orange flames shot out of the second floor.
—
Jeff Capellini, CBS News, 12 May 2026
Muncy could only put his hands up in disbelief.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Days after the shooting stunned Shreveport, a whirlwind of police lights, camera crews and grieving relatives swarmed the neighborhood where the killings unfolded, the streets vibrating with sirens, the air shrouded in questions and disbelief.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
My reaction bordered on disbelief.
—Chiara Barzini, Vogue, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for disbelief
Jeff Capellini, CBS News, 12 May 2026
Muncy could only put his hands up in disbelief.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Days after the shooting stunned Shreveport, a whirlwind of police lights, camera crews and grieving relatives swarmed the neighborhood where the killings unfolded, the streets vibrating with sirens, the air shrouded in questions and disbelief.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
My reaction bordered on disbelief.
—Chiara Barzini, Vogue, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for disbelief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disbelief
Noun
-
But midway through their first interview with Djena the agents’ skepticism began to wane.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
The decision to run it back has been met with considerable skepticism — and reasonably so.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
The election drubbing cemented doubts among many Labor lawmakers about Starmer’s judgment, vision and leadership ability — a brutal indictment on a leader who returned the party to power in July 2024 after 14 years in opposition.—
Danica Kirka,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
-
When in doubt, turn to Dries Van Noten’s polka-dot-print pareo.—
Laura Jackson,
Vogue,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
When Sjogran, three months after her appointment, opted to sack former manager Gareth Taylor just five days before City’s League Cup final against Chelsea before facing them again in the UWCL quarter-finals, the outside world responded with incredulity and derision.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
-
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
Noun
-
More than that, there is a general sense of anger and suspicion about entrenched élites.—
Amy Davidson Sorkin,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
-
The timeline of the Andrew scandal has been heavily discussed, even before the disgraced former prince was arrested for suspicion of misconduct in public office.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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 24 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
