belie
bih-LYEverbMeaning to give a false picture of; also, to show to be false
Memory hook BE-LIE: the LOOKS tell a LIE. Grandma’s rusty little car looks as if it could barely roll, but at the go-kart track it zooms past everyone; its shabby looks belie its speed.
Her calm smile belied how nervous she felt before the recital.
In context The tiny restaurant’s plain front belies the feast inside; customers who wander in expecting a quick snack find a seven-course dinner waiting.
Similar disguise, misrepresent, contradict, disprove
Opposite reveal, confirm, show
From Old English beleogan, “to deceive by lying”: be- + leogan (to lie).