credulous

[ krej-uh-luhs ]

/ ˈkrɛdʒ ə ləs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR credulous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

willing to believe or trust too readily, especially without proper or adequate evidence; gullible.

marked by or arising from credulity: a credulous rumor.

Nearby words

creditor, credits, creditworthy, credo, credulity, credulous, credulously, credé's method, cree, creed, creek

Origin of credulous

1570–80; < Latin crēdulus, equivalent to crēd(ere) to believe + -ulus adj. suffix denoting a quality or tendency; see -ous

SYNONYMS FOR credulous

1 believing, trustful, unsuspecting.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR credulous ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

cred·u·lous·ly, adverbcred·u·lous·ness, nounnon·cred·u·lous, adjectivenon·cred·u·lous·ly, adverb

non·cred·u·lous·ness, nouno·ver·cred·u·lous, adjectiveo·ver·cred·u·lous·ly, adverbo·ver·cred·u·lous·ness, nounun·cred·u·lous, adjectiveun·cred·u·lous·ly, adverbun·cred·u·lous·ness, noun

Can be confusedcredible credulous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for credulous

But instead of fighting the trend, too many of us simply capitulate—lazy, credulous fools that we are.
Walmart Lifts Black Friday’s Curse|James Poulos|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is bad enough when credulous but healthy people buy worthless cleanse kits and eat too much kale.
FDA Moves to Crack Down on Quack Autism ‘Cures’|Russell Saunders|April 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And another story today at the Jewish Press, under a credulous headline, admitted the story might not be right in its lede.
How Israeli Government Officials Fueled A Conspiracy Website Story About Iran|Ali Gharib|January 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I am increasingly convinced that liberals are repeating the mistakes made by credulous Bush-era conservatives.
The Left's Worst Enemy|Reihan Salam|December 16, 2009|DAILY BEAST

We cynically reject any attempt at sincerity nowadays, but when it comes to the past we are as credulous as little children.
Why the World Trusted Walter|Lee Siegel|July 19, 2009|DAILY BEAST
This little fiction is to amuse the credulous, and would be 'important if true.'
Overland through Asia; Pictures of Siberian, Chinese, and Tartar Life|Thomas Wallace Knox
Who could be so credulous as to believe that minute organic forms could live through the boiling process?
The Relations of Science and Religion|Henry Calderwood
They are generally people of low intellect, credulous dispositions, and weak nerves.
There is no Death|Florence Marryatt
The most credulous of mortals is he who is persuaded of his incredulity.
The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Volume 8|Ambrose Bierce
Rupert Sinclair could be no longer the credulous and unsuspecting victim of a subtile and self-interested world.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various

British Dictionary definitions for credulous

credulous

/ (ˈkrɛdjʊləs) /

adjective

tending to believe something on little evidence

arising from or characterized by credulitycredulous beliefs

Derived Formscredulously, adverbcredulousness, noun

Word Origin for credulous

C16: from Latin crēdulus, from crēdere to believe

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for credulous

credulous

adj.

1570s, from Latin credulus "that easily believes, trustful," from credere "to believe" (see credo). Related: Credulously; credulousness.

credulous

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of credulous

Examples from the Web for credulous

British Dictionary definitions for credulous

credulous

adjective

Word Origin for credulous

Word Origin and History for credulous

credulous