incredulously
Americanadverb
-
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?"
-
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.
Vocabulary lists containing incredulously
The Crucible
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"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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A Doll's House
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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.
That is a deal breaker for travelers like the San Diego convention-goer who incredulously asked me why anyone would book an all-inclusive package in a city with so many great restaurants.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
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
There was a palpable moment when she seemed to ask, incredulously, “Did you just say you’re not going to listen to what a circuit court says?”
From Slate • May 16, 2025
Grinning, Amarante produced the food stamp book and, while Nick looked on incredulously, painstakingly tore out four one-dollar stamps which he laid carefully on the counter.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
