belief

English

Etymology

From Middle English bileve, from Old English lēafa, from Proto-West Germanic *laubu from Proto-Germanic *laubō. Compare German Glaube (“faith, belief”).

The replacement of final /v/ with /f/ is due to the analogy of noun-verb pairs with /f/ in the noun but /v/ in the verb, creating a pair belief : believe on the model of e.g. grief : grieve or proof : prove.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɪˈliːf/, /bəˈliːf/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːf
• Hyphenation: be‧lief

Noun

belief (countable and uncountable, plural beliefs)

1. Mental acceptance of a claim as true.

   It's my belief that the thief is somebody known to us.

   • 2013 December 6, George Monbiot, “Why I'm eating my words on veganism – again”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 26, page 48:

     The belief that there is no conflict between [livestock] farming and arable production also seems to be unfounded: by preventing the growth of trees and other deep vegetation in the hills and by compacting the soil, grazing animals cause a cycle of flash floods and drought, sporadically drowning good land downstream and reducing the supply of irrigation water.

2. Faith or trust in the reality of something; often based upon one's own reasoning, trust in a claim, desire of actuality, and/or evidence considered.

   My belief is that there is a bear in the woods. Bill said he saw one.

   Based on this data, it is our belief that X does not occur.

3. (countable) Something believed.

   The ancient people have a belief in many deities.

4. (uncountable) The quality or state of believing.

   My belief that it will rain tomorrow is strong.

5. (uncountable) Religious faith.

   She often said it was her belief that carried her through the hard times.

6. (in the plural) One's religious or moral convictions.

   I can't do that. It's against my beliefs.

Derived terms

• beggar belief
• beliefful
• beliefless
• belieflike
• belief system
• beyond belief
• contrary to popular belief
• disbelief
• forebelief
• make belief
• metabelief
• misbelief
• nonbelief
• overbelief
• self-belief
• unbelief
• wanbelief

 

Related terms

• believe

Translations

mental acceptance of a claim as truth

• Arabic: اِعْتِقَاد m (iʕtiqād)
• Armenian: հավատ (hy) (havat), վստահություն (hy) (vstahutʻyun)
• Asturian: creyencia f, creencia f
• Azerbaijani: inanc
• Belarusian: ве́ра f (vjéra)
• Bulgarian: вя́ра (bg) f (vjára), дове́рие (bg) n (dovérie)
• Catalan: creença (ca) f
• Cherokee: ᎪᎯᏳᏗ (gohiyudi)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 相信 (zh) (xiāngxìn), 信心 (zh) (xìnxīn)

• Czech: víra (cs) f
• Danish: tro (da) c
• Dutch: geloof (nl) n
• Esperanto: konvinko
• Estonian: usk
• Faroese: trúgv f
• Finnish: usko (fi)
• French: croyance (fr) f
• Friulian: crodince f
• Galician: crenza (gl) f
• Georgian: რწმენა (rc̣mena), დაჯერება (daǯereba)
• German: Glauben (de) m
• Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 f (galaubeins)
• Greek: πίστη (el) f (písti), πιστεύω (el) n (pistévo)
• Guaraní: jerovia (gn)
• Hebrew: האמנה (he)
• Hindi: विश्वास (hi) m (viśvās), धारणा (hi) f (dhārṇā)
• Hungarian: hit (hu)
• Indonesian: kepercayaan (id)
• Italian: credito (it) m, credenza (it) f, convinzione (it) f
• Japanese: 確信 (ja) (かくしん, kakushin)
• Kazakh: сенім (senım)
• Korean: 믿음 (ko) (mideum)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: باوەر (bawer), بروا (birwa)

  Northern Kurdish: bawer (ku)

• Kyrgyz: ишеним (ky) (işenim), ишенүү (ky) (işenüü), ишенич (ky) (işenic), көз караш (ky) (köz karaş), диний ишеним (ky) (diniy işenim)
• Latin: fides f
• Latvian: ticība (lv) f
• Macedonian: вера f (vera)
• Mongolian: итгэл (mn) (itgel)
• Navajo: oodlą́
• Norman: crianche f
• Occitan: cresença (oc) f
• Old Church Slavonic:

  Cyrillic: вѣра f (věra)

• Old East Slavic: вѣра f (věra)
• Old English: ġelēafa m
• Persian: باور (fa) (bâvar), اعتقاد (fa) (e'teqâd)
• Polish: przekonanie (pl) n, wiara (pl) f
• Portuguese: crença (pt) f
• Romanian: credință (ro)
• Russian: ве́ра (ru) f (véra), дове́рие (ru) n (dovérije) (trust), убежде́ние (ru) n (ubeždénije) (conviction)
• Scottish Gaelic: beachd m, barail f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: веровање n, вјеровање n, вера f, вјера f

  Roman: verovanje (sh) n, vjerovanje (sh) n, vera (sh) f, vjera (sh) f

• Slovak: viera f
• Slovene: vera (sl) f
• Southern Altai: ижениш (iženiš)
• Spanish: creencia (es) f
• Swedish: tro (sv) c
• Tagalog: paniwala, paniniwala
• Tajik: эътиқод (tg) (eʾtiqod), бовар (bovar)
• Tamil: நம்பிக்கை (ta) (nampikkai)
• Udmurt: оскон (oskon)
• Ukrainian: ві́ра f (víra)
• Uyghur: ئېتىقاد (ëtiqad)
• Uzbek: eʻtiqod
• Walloon: creyance (wa) f
• Zazaki: bawer

something believed

• Armenian: համոզմունք (hy) (hamozmunkʻ)
• Asturian: creyencia f, creencia f
• Azerbaijani: inanc
• Catalan: creença (ca) f
• Cherokee: ᎪᎯᏳᏗ (gohiyudi)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 信念 (zh) (xìnniàn)

• Czech: víra (cs) f
• Dutch: geloof (nl) f
• Esperanto: kredo
• Estonian: usk, uskumus
• Finnish: usko (fi)
• Galician: crenza (gl) f
• Georgian: მრწამსი (mrc̣amsi), შეხედულება (šexeduleba)
• German: Glaube (de) m
• Greek: δοξασία (el) f (doxasía), δόγμα (el) n (dógma), πίστη (el) f (písti)
• Hindi: विश्वास (hi) m (viśvās)
• Hungarian: hit (hu), hiedelem (hu)
• Interlingua: credentia
• Italian: credenza (it) f, opinione (it) f
• Japanese: 信念 (ja) (しんねん, shinnen), 信条 (ja) (しんじょう, shinjō)
• Korean: 믿음 (ko) (mideum)
• Old English: ġelēafa m
• Persian: باور (fa) (bâvar)
• Polish: wiara (pl) f, przekonanie (pl) n (conviction)
• Portuguese: crença (pt) f
• Russian: ве́ра (ru) f (véra), убежде́ние (ru) n (ubeždénije) (conviction)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: вера f, вјера f

  Roman: vera (sh) f, vjera (sh) f

• Swedish: tro (sv) c
• Telugu: నమ్మకము (te) (nammakamu), విశ్వాసము (te) (viśvāsamu)

the quality or state of believing

• Bulgarian: вяра (bg) (vjara)
• Catalan: creença (ca) f
• Czech: víra (cs) f
• Dutch: geloof (nl) f
• Estonian: usk, lootus
• Finnish: usko (fi), luottamus (fi)
• French: conviction (fr) f
• Galician: crenza (gl) f
• German: Glaube (de) m
• Greek: δοξασία (el) f (doxasía), δόγμα (el) n (dógma)
• Italian: convinzione (it) f
• Old English: ġelēafa m
• Persian: باور (fa) (bâvar)
• Polish: wiara (pl) f
• Portuguese: crença (pt) f
• Romanian: convingere (ro) f, convicțiune (ro) f
• Scottish Gaelic: beachd m, barail f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: веровање n, вјеровање n

  Roman: verovanje (sh) n, vjerovanje (sh) n

• Swedish: tro (sv) c
• Telugu: నమ్మకము (te) (nammakamu), విశ్వాసము (te) (viśvāsamu)

religious faith

• Arabic: عقيدَة (ar)
• Bulgarian: вя́ра (bg) (vjára)
• Catalan: creença (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 信仰 (zh) (xìnyǎng), 信教 (zh) (xìnjiào)

• Czech: víra (cs) f
• Dalmatian: faid f
• Dutch: geloof (nl) f
• Estonian: usk
• Faroese: trúgv f
• Finnish: usko (fi)
• French: foi (fr) f, croyance (fr) f
• Galician: fe (gl) f, crenza (gl) f
• Georgian: მრწამსი (mrc̣amsi), რჯული (rǯuli)
• German: Glauben (de) m
• Greek: πίστη (el) f (písti)
• Guaraní: jerovia (gn)
• Hindi: आस्था (hi) f (āsthā), श्रद्धा (hi) f (śraddhā)
• Indonesian: keyakinan (id)
• Italian: fede (it), credo (it), credenza (it)
• Japanese: 信仰 (ja) (しんこう, shinkō)
• Khmer: ជំនឿ (km) (chom neur)
• Korean: 신앙 (ko) (sinang), 믿음 (ko) (mideum)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: بڕوا (birrwa), باوەر (bawer)

• Latin: fides f
• Malayalam: വിശ്വാസം (ml) (viśvāsaṁ)
• Navajo: oodlą́ʼ (sheʼoodlą́ʼ, my belief)
• Norman: crianche f
• Old English: ġelēafa m
• Ottoman Turkish: ایمان (iman)
• Polish: wiara (pl) f, wierzenie (pl) n
• Portuguese: crença (pt) f
• Quechua: iñi
• Romanian: credință (ro)
• Russian: ве́ра (ru) f (véra), ве́рование (ru) n (vérovanije)
• Scottish Gaelic: creideamh m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: вера f, вјера f

  Roman: vera (sh) f, vjera (sh) f

• Spanish: fe (es) f, creencia (es) f
• Swedish: tro (sv) c
• Telugu: మతవిశ్వాశం (mataviśvāśaṁ)
• Ukrainian: віра f (vira)
• Zulu: ukholo (zu)

religious or moral convictions

• Arabic: إيمان (ar) (ʔīmān)
• Armenian: համոզմունք (hy) (hamozmunkʻ)
• Bulgarian: вяра (bg) (vjara), убеждение (bg) (ubeždenie)
• Czech: přesvědčení (cs) n, víra (cs) f
• Dutch: geloof (nl) f
• Estonian: veendumus
• Finnish: vakaumus (fi)
• Galician: crenza (gl) f
• German: Glauben (de) m
• Greek: πιστεύω (el) n (pistévo)
• Hindi: आस्था (hi) f (āsthā), श्रद्धा (hi) f (śraddhā)
• Hungarian: hit (hu), meggyőződés (hu)
• Ingrian: katsomus
• Italian: convinzioni (it) pl or f
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: بڕوا (birrwa)باوەر (bawer)

• Malayalam: വിശ്വാസം (ml) (viśvāsaṁ)
• Old English: ġelēafa m
• Polish: wiara (pl) f, wierzenie (pl) n
• Portuguese: crença (pt) f
• Romanian: credință (ro)
• Scottish Gaelic: creideamh m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: вера f, вјера f

  Roman: vera (sh) f, vjera (sh) f

• Swedish: tro (sv) c

a wishing of case or circumstance to be true

• Estonian: usk
• Finnish: usko (fi)
• Hindi: विश्वास (hi) m (viśvās)
• Italian: fiducia (it) f
• Korean: 바람 (ko) (baram)
• Polish: wiara (pl) f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: уверење n, увјерење n

  Roman: uverenje (sh) n, uvjerenje (sh) n

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Breton: ^{(please verify)} kredenn (br) f
• Cebuano: ^{(please verify)} pagtuo
• French: ^{(please verify)} croyance (fr) f
• Guaraní: ^{(please verify)} jerovia (gn)
• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} keyakinan (id) , ^{(please verify)} kepercayaan (id)
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} credentia
• Maltese: ^{(please verify)} twemmien
• Norwegian: ^{(please verify)} tro (no) c
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} credință (ro) f
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} creencia (es)
• Swahili: ^{(please verify)} imani (sw)
• Tamil: ^{(please verify)} நம்பிக்கை (ta) (nampikkai), ^{(please verify)} நம்பகம் (ta) (nampakam)
• Tupinambá: ^{(please verify)} îerobîara
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} inanç (tr)

Anagrams

• befile, belfie

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

belief

1. imperative of believen

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bəˈliːf]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: be‧lief

Verb

belief

1. first/third-person singular preterite of belaufen