incredulity
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of incredulity
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English incredulite, from Latin incrēdulitās; see incredulous, -ity
Explanation
Incredulity is the state of not believing. I greeted the stranger's story about needing bus fare with incredulity. "I just don't believe you," I said. "The bit about your diabetic cat was a little over the top." In Latin, credere means "to believe." You'll see it at the roots of creed "statement of belief," credible "believable," credulous "a person who readily believes," and incredulous "a person who doesn't."
Vocabulary lists containing incredulity
A Raisin in the Sun
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Believe It or Not: Cred
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1984
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Several survivors reached out to each other, sharing their incredulity at what had just unfolded, and began coordinating how they would respond.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
Ryan Tsui, whose brother and niece died in the sinking, previously said he followed the case with "incredulity" as he said witnesses dodged responsibility.
From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026
She “renounced her philosophical incredulity in the face of death” and expressed “full confidence in the afterlife in her last writings.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026
"I can't believe you've said that," he laughs with mock incredulity.
From BBC • Oct. 7, 2025
Simon, walking in front of Ralph, felt a flicker of incredulity a beast with claws that scratched, that sat on a mountain-top, that left no tracks and yet was not fast enough to catch Samneric.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
