Dis*be*lief" (?), n. The act of
disbelieving;; a state of the mind in which one is fully persuaded
that an opinion, assertion, or doctrine is not true; refusal of
assent, credit, or credence; denial of belief.
Our belief or disbelief of a thing does not
alter the nature of the thing.
Tillotson.
No sadder proof can be given by a man of his own
littleness that disbelief in great men.
Carlyle.
Syn. -- Distrust; unbelief; incredulity; doubt; skepticism.
-- Disbelief, Unbelief. Unbelief is a mere
failure to admit; disbelief is a positive rejection. One may
be an unbeliever in Christianity from ignorance or want of
inquiry; a unbeliever has the proofs before him, and incurs
the guilt of setting them aside. Unbelief is usually open to
conviction; disbelief is already convinced as to the falsity
of that which it rejects. Men often tell a story in such a manner
that we regard everything they say with unbelief. Familiarity
with the worst parts of human nature often leads us into a
disbelief in many good qualities which really exist among
men.
