credulous
KREJ-uh-lus
/ˈkredʒ.ə.ləs/
Having or showing too great a readiness to believe things.
Describes a psychological disposition toward believing claims without asking for sufficient proof.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'credulus' (easy of belief), which derives from 'credere' (to believe or trust). The same Latin root gave us 'credible', 'credit', and 'creed', highlighting belief across legal, financial, and personal domains.
Word relationships
- gullible: Gullible emphasizes the humiliation of being tricked; credulous focuses on the cognitive willingness to believe.
- trusting: Trusting is positive and warm; credulous implies an uncritical flaw.
- incredulous: Incredulous means unwilling or unable to believe something.
- skeptical: Skeptical means inclined to question or doubt accepted opinions.
Commonly confused with
- credible: Credible means believable (describing information); credulous means believable-prone (describing people).
Word family
- credulity (noun): Tendency to believe things too readily.
- credulously (adverb): In a credulous or over-trusting manner.
Collocations
- credulous public
- credulous ear
- overly credulous
- credulous nature
Example sentences
- "In times of crisis, a credulous public often buys into unfounded conspiracy theories." Sociological commentary
- "Othello proved tragically credulous when listening to Iago's whispered lies about Desdemona." Literary analysis
Memory hook
Credulous people give CREDIT to any story they hear without proof. Ready to believe anything.
When not to use
Avoid using as a direct insult; it is a descriptive assessment of cognitive trust rather than a harsh slur.
Fun facts
- The opposite word 'incredulous' is far more common in modern literature, used when characters express disbelieving shock.
Explore more words
credence, incredulous, skepticism, skeptic, indulgent, guileless
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