Belies — A Vocabulary Story
Sanjay and the Sweetest Little Menace
Every Friday, Sanjay's family played board games, and every Friday, Sanjay lost to his little sister, Meera.
This made no sense at all. Meera was four. She wore a yellow dress with ducks on it. She had round cheeks and a gap-toothed smile that made grown-ups say things like "What a little angel!"
But Sanjay knew the truth. That angelic smile belies a mind like a chess champion crossed with a crafty fox.
Belies means to give a false impression of something, or to show that something is not true or is contradicted.
"Sanjay, would you like my extra card?" Meera asked sweetly, blinking up at him.
"No," said Sanjay firmly. "Last week your extra card made me lose all my pretend money."
Dad chuckled from behind his own cards. "Come on, she's only little."
"Her size belies everything," Sanjay muttered darkly. "Everything."
The game continued. Meera hummed a nursery rhyme while quietly collecting all four train stations. She offered Mum a biscuit at the exact moment Mum needed to concentrate. She traded Sanjay a "really special" card that turned out to be worth precisely nothing.
By the end, Meera owned nearly the whole board. She clapped her tiny hands with delight.
"One more game?" she asked, in a soft little voice that completely belies the ruthless tycoon within.
Sanjay narrowed his eyes. Then he grinned. If you can't beat them, watch them very, very carefully.
"One more game," he agreed. "But this time, I'm keeping my train stations."
Meera just smiled her sweet, terrifying smile and shuffled the cards.
Word Definition
belies
meaning
to give a false impression of something; to show that something is not true or is contradicted
synonyms
contradicts · misrepresents · disguises · conceals · disproves
antonyms
reveals · confirms · proves
example sentence
Her calm face belies the fear she feels.