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BELIEF
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A vague idea in which some confidence is placed
Example:
I had a feeling that she was lying
Synonyms:
belief; feeling; impression; notion; opinion
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("belief" is a kind of...):
idea; thought (the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "belief"):
presence (the impression that something is present)
effect (an impression (especially one that is artificial or contrived))
first blush (at the first glimpse or impression)
hunch; intuition; suspicion (an impression that something might be the case)
Derivation:
believe (be confident about something)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Any cognitive content held as true
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("belief" is a kind of...):
cognitive content; content; mental object (the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "belief"):
spiritualism (the belief that the spirits of dead people can communicate with people who are still alive (especially via a medium))
spiritual domain; spiritual world; unseen (a belief that there is a realm controlled by a divine spirit)
suffragism (the belief that the right to vote should be extended (as to women))
supernaturalism (a belief in forces beyond ordinary human understanding)
superstition; superstitious notion (an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear)
supremacism (the belief that some particular group or race is superior to all others)
theory (a belief that can guide behavior)
theosophism (belief in theosophy)
thought (the organized beliefs of a period or group or individual)
totemism (belief in the kinship of a group of people with a common totem)
tribalism (the beliefs of a tribal society)
values (beliefs of a person or social group in which they have an emotional investment (either for or against something))
vampirism (belief in the existence of vampires)
individualism (a belief in the importance of the individual and the virtue of self-reliance and personal independence)
spiritual being; supernatural being (an incorporeal being believed to have powers to affect the course of human events)
sacerdotalism (a belief that priests can act as mediators between human beings and God)
revolutionism (a belief in the spread of revolutionary principles)
opinion; popular opinion; public opinion; vox populi (a belief or sentiment shared by most people; the voice of the people)
faith; religion; religious belief (a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny)
pacificism; pacifism (the belief that all international disputes can be settled by arbitration)
originalism (the belief that the United States Constitution should be interpreted in the way the authors originally intended it)
autotelism (belief that a work of art is an end in itself or its own justification)
opinion; persuasion; sentiment; thought; view (a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty)
meliorism (the belief that the world can be made better by human effort)
geneticism (the belief that all human characteristics are determined genetically)
fetichism; fetishism (a belief in the magical power of fetishes (or the worship of a fetish))
expectation; outlook; prospect (belief about (or mental picture of) the future)
philosophy (any personal belief about how to live or how to deal with a situation)
doctrine; ism; philosophical system; philosophy; school of thought (a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school)
faith; trust (complete confidence in a person or plan etc)
article of faith; conviction; strong belief (an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence)
Antonym:
unbelief (a rejection of belief)
Derivation:
believe (accept as true; take to be true)
Context examples:
Through language—which includes sounds, gestures, and signs—we communicate our knowledge and beliefs.
(Brain Mapping of Language Impairments, NIH)
According to these beliefs, in order for a remedy to be effective, it must cause in a healthy person the same symptoms being treated in the patient.
(Homeopathic medicine, NCI Dictionary)
A religious group that identifies with the beliefs and culture of the Latter-Day Saint movement.
(Mormon, NCI Thesaurus)
A religious group that follows the words and belief system founded by the prophet Muhammad and are written in the Koran.
(Muslim, NCI Thesaurus)
A religious group that encompasses a diverse set of beliefs and traditions that originated in the Indian subcontinent.
(Hindu, NCI Thesaurus)
A feeling of shame and sorrow based on the belief of having done something wrong or failing an obligation.
(Guilt, NCI Thesaurus)
A form of complementary and alternative medicine based on the belief that vital energy flows through the human body.
(Healing touch, NCI Dictionary)
Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) Does the patient have beliefs that you know are not true?
(NPI - Have Beliefs That You Know are Not True, NCI Thesaurus)
A mental disorder caused by intrinsic disease which is characterized by persistent or recurrent irrational beliefs.
(Organic Delusional Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)
“Spoil forecastle hands, make devils. That's my belief.”
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
