belief
pronunciation
How to pronounce belief in British English:
UK [bɪˈliːf]
How to pronounce belief in American English:
US [bɪˈliːf]
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- Noun:
- any cognitive content held as true
- a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
Word Origin
- belief (n.)
- late 12c., bileave, replacing Old English geleafa "belief, faith," from West Germanic *ga-laubon "to hold dear, esteem, trust" (cognates: Old Saxon gilobo, Middle Dutch gelove, Old High German giloubo, German Glaube), from *galaub- "dear, esteemed," from intensive prefix *ga- + *leubh- "to care, desire, like, love" (see love (v.)). The prefix was altered on analogy of the verb believe. The distinction of the final consonant from that of believe developed 15c. "The be-, which is not a natural prefix of nouns, was prefixed on the analogy of the vb. (where it is naturally an intensive) .... [OED] Belief used to mean "trust in God," while faith meant "loyalty to a person based on promise or duty" (a sense preserved in keep one's faith, in good (or bad) faith and in common usage of faithful, faithless, which contain no notion of divinity). But faith, as cognate of Latin fides, took on the religious sense beginning in 14c. translations, and belief had by 16c. become limited to "mental acceptance of something as true," from the religious use in the sense of "things held to be true as a matter of religious doctrine" (a sense attested from early 13c.).
Synonym
Example
- 1. Americans have always valued religious belief in their leaders .
- 2. A smart risk is backed by belief and action .
- 3. Belief in efficient financial markets suggests a three-pronged investment strategy .
- 4. My belief is that this gets us nowhere .
- 5. Instead he has given them a government beyond belief .