Synonyms for disbelief
Most common
All synonyms
Noun
1. Incredulity
incredulity, doubt, skepticism US, scepticism UK, distrust, discredit
Other
Definitions
- n. 1
An unpreparedness, unwillingness, or an inability to believe that something is the case.
She cried out in disbelief on hearing that terrorists had crashed an airplane into the World Trade Center in New York City.
Related words
- Word family
- disbelieve
Forms
- Plural
- disbeliefs → incredulities, doubts, skepticisms, distrusts…
Choose the right word
As regards belief, while doubt is lack of conviction, disbelief is conviction, to the contrary; unbelief refers to a settled state of mind, generally accompanied with opposition of heart.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- doubt There's a blind man looking for a shadow of doubt.
- distrust True love knows neither suspicion nor distrust.
- incredulity The lover listened with obstinate incredulity.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| disbelief | rising | |
| doubt | steady | |
| distrust | steady | |
| incredulity | rising | |
| unbelief | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 5 letters
- doubt1
- 8 letters
- distrust2, unbelief
- 9 letters
- discredit3
- 10 letters
- skepticism4, infidelity5, scepticism
- 11 letters
- incredulity5
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (distrust2 = 2 syllables).