Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Belief
1.
Assent to a proposition or affirmation, or the acceptance of a fact, opinion, or assertion as real or true, without immediate personal knowledge; reliance upon word or testimony; partial or full assurance without positive knowledge or absolute certainty; persuasion; conviction; confidence;
as,
. belief
of a witness; the belief
of our sensesBelief
admits of all degrees, from the slightest suspicion to the fullest assurance. Reid.
2.
(Theol.)
A persuasion of the truths of religion; faith.
No man can attain [to]
belief
by the bare contemplation of heaven and earth. Hooker.
3.
The thing believed; the object of belief.
Superstitious prophecies are not only the
belief
of fools, but the talk sometimes of wise men. Bacon.
4.
A tenet, or the body of tenets, held by the advocates of any class of views; doctrine; creed.
In the heat of persecution to which Christian
belief
was subject upon its first promulgation. Hooker.
Ultimate belief
, a first principle incapable of proof; an intuitive truth; an intuition.
Sir W. Hamilton.
Syn. – Credence; trust; reliance; assurance; opinion.
Webster 1828 Edition
Belief
BELIE'F
,Noun.
1.
A persuasion of the truth, or an assent of mind to the truth of a declaration, proposition or alleged fact, on the ground of evidence, distinct from personal knowledge; as the belief of the gospel; belief of a witness. Belief may also by founded on internal impressions, or arguments and reasons furnished by our own minds; as the belief of our senses; a train of reasoning may result in belief. Belief is opposed to knowledge and science.2.
In theology, faith, or a firm persuasion of the truths of religion. No man can attain [to] belief by the bare contemplation of heaven and earth.
3.
Religion; the body of tenets held by the professors of faith. In the heat of persecution, to which christian belief was subject, upon its first promulgation.
4.
In some cases, the word is used for persuasion or opinion, when the evidence is not so clear as to leave no doubt; but the shades of strength in opinion can hardly be defined, or exemplified. Hence the use of qualifying words; as a firm, full or strong belief.5.
The thing believed; the object of belief. Superstitious prophecies are the belief of fools.
6.
A creed; a form or summary of articles of faith. In this sense, we generally use Creed.Definition 2024
belief
belief
English
Noun
belief (plural beliefs)
- Mental acceptance of a claim as likely true.
- Her belief is that this is/is not the case.
- 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.
- 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.
- (countable) Something believed.
- The ancient people have a belief in many deities.
- (uncountable) The quality or state of believing.
- My belief that it will rain tomorrow is strong.
- (uncountable) Religious faith.
- She often said it was her belief that carried her through the hard times.
- (in the plural) One's religious or moral convictions.
- I can't do that. It's against my beliefs.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
mental acceptance of a claim as truth
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something believed
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the quality or state of believing
religious faith
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religious or moral convictions
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a wishing of case or circumstance to be true