belie
/bɪˈlʌɪ
/verb (belies, belying, belied) [with object]
1(Of an appearance) fail to give a true impression of (something): his lively, alert manner belied his years...
- Teresa's youthful appearance certainly belies her age and we wish her continued good health…
- Its exotic appearance belies the toughness and reliability of its nature.
- He may look like a rugged hillwalker, well-built and bearded - but his appearance belies the truth.
Synonyms
contradict, be at odds with, call into question, give the lie to, show/prove to be false;
disprove, debunk, discredit, explode, knock the bottom out of, drive a coach and horses through
informal shoot full of holes, shoot down (in flames)
rare controvert, confute, negative
conceal, cover, disguise, misrepresent, falsify, distort, warp, put a spin on, colour;
give a false idea of, give a false account of
2Fail to fulfil or justify (a claim or expectation): the quality of the music seems to belie the criticism...
- These figures belie the constantly repeated claims of mass popular support for the brutal war.
- Already, we have encountered many instances that would belie any such claim.
- The strong shows of support for him belied claims that the party was falling apart without its leader.
Origin
Old English belēogan 'deceive by lying', from be- 'about' + lēogan 'to lie'. Current senses date from the 17th century.