noun
ADJECTIVE
▪ absolute , deep-seated , deeply held , fervent , firm , passionate , profound , strong , strongly held , unshakable , unwavering
▪ genuine , sincere
▪
She was strict with her children in the genuine ~ that it was the right thing to do.
▪ common , commonly held , general , popular , widely held , widespread
▪ mutual , shared
▪
They had a shared ~ in the power of education.
▪ growing
▪ long-held , long-standing
▪ basic , central , core , fundamental
▪
the basic ~s of Christianity
▪ personal , private
▪
I think the rights and wrongs of eating meat are a matter of personal ~.
▪ rational , reasonable
▪ irrational , superstitious
▪ paranormal , supernatural
▪ instinctive
▪ naive
▪ strange
▪ conflicting , contradictory
▪ erroneous , false , misguided , mistaken
▪
I took the job in the mistaken ~ that I would be able to stay in Philadelphia.
▪ ancient , folk , traditional
▪
The people still follow their traditional ~s.
▪ orthodox
▪ cultural , moral , philosophical , political , religious , spiritual , theological
▪
They were persecuted for their religious ~s.
▪ Catholic , Christian , pagan , etc.
… OF BELIEFS
▪ set , system
▪
Each religion has its set of ~s.
VERB + BELIEF
▪ espouse , have , hold
▪
I have very firm ~s about moral issues.
▪ share
▪
He shared his father's ~ that people should work hard for their living.
▪ adhere to , cherish , cling to , follow , hold on to , stick to
▪
She clung to the ~ that he would come back to her.
▪
The party must stick to its ~s.
▪ abandon , give up , renounce
▪ lose
▪
She has lost her ~ in God.
▪ affirm , assert , declare , express , state
▪
Here the apostle Peter affirms his ~ that the scriptures are ‘inspired’.
▪ emphasize , stress
▪ encourage , foster , fuel
▪
The exam results encouraged the ~ that he was a good teacher.
▪ confirm , justify , reaffirm , reinforce , strengthen , support , validate
▪
This latest evidence strengthens our ~ that the government is doing the right thing.
▪ reconcile
▪
an attempt to reconcile apparently opposite ~s
▪ contradict
▪ challenge , question , shake , shatter , undermine , weaken
▪
The child's death shook her ~ in God.
▪ respect
▪
You must respect other people's ~s.
▪ impose
▪
He tried to impose his ~s on other people.
▪ beggar ( esp. BrE ), defy
▪
It defies ~ how things got this bad.
BELIEF + VERB
▪ persist
▪
Belief in the magical properties of this herb persisted down the centuries.
BELIEF + NOUN
▪ system
PREPOSITION
▪ beyond ~ (= too great, difficult, etc. to be believed)
▪
Dissatisfaction with the government has grown beyond ~.
▪
icy air that was cold beyond ~
▪ in the ~ that
▪
She did it in the ~ that it would help her career.
▪ ~ about
▪
~s about the origin of the universe
▪ ~ among
▪
There is a ~ among young people that education is a waste of time.
▪ ~ in
▪
a ~ in God
PHRASES
▪ contrary to popular ~ (= in spite of what people think)
▪
Contrary to popular ~, deserts are not always hot.