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 confused

credible credulous

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

Examples from the Web for credulousness

How the credulousness of mainstream media figures like Bob Woodward and Ron Fournier enables Republican extremism.
The GOP Rage Machine and Its Mainstream Apologists|Michael Tomasky|February 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
What first suggested to Crandon his idea of the love-potion was the discovery of Sophie's credulousness.
Beggars on Horseback|F. Tennyson Jesse
Antonia had the most trusting, responsive eyes in the world; love and credulousness seemed to look out of them with open faces.
My Antonia|Willa Cather
Both are personifications founded in the ignorance of the masses, and their continuance will cease with their credulousness.
A Few Words About the Devil|Charles Bradlaugh

She herself meanwhile will seek to enter the kemenate and play upon her credulousness.
The Complete Opera Book|Gustav Kobb

British Dictionary definitions for credulousness

credulous

/ (ˈkrɛdjʊləs) /

adjective

tending to believe something on little evidence

arising from or characterized by credulitycredulous beliefs

Derived Forms

credulously, 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