seeing is believing
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
You can only really accept that something is true once you have seen it yourself.
Literally: To see is to believe.
How to use it
✓ Use it when
Expressing skepticism until direct evidence appears.
Register: neutralConnotation: skepticalEra: 17th century – present
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
They say the new engine doubles the range, but seeing is believing.
Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Equivalents & related
Near equivalent
trăm nghe không bằng một thấy
Hearing about something a hundred times is not worth seeing it once — direct experience beats hearsay.
Tiếng Việt
Near equivalent
trăm nghe không bằng mắt thấy
a picture is worth a thousand words; seeing is believing
Tiếng Việt
Near equivalent
a picture is worth a thousand words
A visual representation can convey more information than a large amount of text
English · via trăm nghe không bằng mắt thấy
Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.
Common questions
What does “seeing is believing” mean?
You can only really accept that something is true once you have seen it yourself. Literally: To see is to believe.
Is “seeing is believing” formal or informal?
seeing is believing is generally neutral; connotation: skeptical.
What is the closest equivalent?
“trăm nghe không bằng một thấy” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.