incredulously

American  

[in-krej-uh-luhs-lee] / ɪnˈkrɛdʒ ə ləs li /

adverb

1. in a way that indicates or shows disbelief.

   He looked incredulously at the lime jello embedded with tuna and mini marshmallows and asked, "Do people actually eat that?"

2. to a degree that is very difficult to believe; incredibly.

   And then the defendant made a statement that was so incredulously stupid I had to laugh.

---

Usage

Are incredulously and incredibly synonyms? See incredibly ( def. ).

Etymology

Origin of incredulously

First recorded in 1800–10; incredulous ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Explanation

If you do something incredulously, you're doing it in a doubting or disbelieving way. If you look at someone incredulously, you can't believe what they're saying or doing. Incredulously is a word that has to do with disbelief — it's a way of looking at someone or talking to someone like you just can't believe what's going on. If your teacher suddenly started quacking like a duck, the class would look at him incredulously. When a student gives the wrong answer to an easy question, the teacher might incredulously say, "What?" If you're feeling incredulous (disbelieving), then you're probably acting incredulously.

Example Sentences

Newton stared at Collins incredulously before shouting his response.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2025

"Robot Jetten is going to be prime minister!" one reporter said to him incredulously as his success became clear on Wednesday night.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2025

They will gaze incredulously as you attempt, over and over again, to pop the board onto a rail and slide along.

From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 21, 2025

“The people deciding it are basically on Discord. There’s no legalese in the wording,” he said incredulously.

From Slate • Sep. 20, 2024

“That will be denied?” asked Justice de Wet incredulously.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela