bə̇ˈlēf, bē-, rap. ˈblēf noun
( -s )
Etymology: alteration (influenced by such pairs as English grief: grieve ) of Middle English beleve, beleave, probably alteration (influenced by beleven to believe) of Old English gelēafa, from ge-, collective prefix + lēafa belief; akin to lēfan, lȳfan to allow, believe — more at co- , believe
1. : a state or habit of mind in which trust, confidence, or reliance is placed in some person or thing : faith
2.
a. : something believed ; specifically : a statement or body of statements held by the advocates of any class of views
b. : trust in religion : persuasion of the validity of religious ideas
the war of belief against unbelief — Thomas Caryle
: a statement of religious doctrines believed : creed
3.
a. : conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or phenomenon especially when based on an examination of the grounds for accepting it as true or real : reflective assurance : intellectual assent
belief in the validity of logical propositions and scientific statements
b. : a statement or a state of affairs on the basis of which one is willing to act ; specifically : a deliberate habitual readiness to act in a certain manner under appropriate conditions
4. : immediate assurance or feeling of the reality of something
belief in sensation
Synonyms:
faith , credence , credit : belief signifies mental acceptance of or assent to something offered as true, with or without certainty
we tend to speak of faith when we are designating the less sure beliefs. We believe our eyes, and we believe the proposition that twice two are four — G.W.Allport
the belief that the dead shall rise and live again is purely a matter of faith with which reason has nothing to do directly — Frank Thilly
faith applies to full and certain assent, often on grounds other than those afforded by the senses and reason and often with a complete trust or confidence
the faith that human science and freedom would advance hand in hand to usher in an era of indefinite human perfectibility — John Dewey
he's still touchingly full of faith, even after all that has happened in a new heaven and a new earth — Rose Macaulay
credence suggests the fact of intellectual assent without implying anything about grounds for assent;it may refer to less intimately significant matters than faith and belief
we are not now concerned with the finality or extent of truth in this judgment. The point is that it gained a widespread credence among the cultured class in Europe — C.D.Lewis
the colonial office statement is too pitiably thin for credence — New Statesman & Nation
credit suggests that a notion is held worthy of trusting consideration although it practically never connotes certainty or conviction in acceptance
giving no credit to such reports
Synonym: see in addition opinion .