credulous

[ krej-uh-luhs ]

adjective

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

   Synonyms: unsuspecting, trustful

2. marked by or arising from credulity:

   a credulous rumor.

credulous

/ ˈkrɛdjʊləs /

adjective

1. tending to believe something on little evidence
2. arising from or characterized by credulity

   credulous beliefs

Derived Forms

• ˈcredulously, adverb
• ˈcredulousness, noun

Other Words From

• credu·lous·ly adverb
• credu·lous·ness noun
• non·credu·lous adjective
• non·credu·lous·ly adverb
• non·credu·lous·ness noun
• over·credu·lous adjective
• over·credu·lous·ly adverb
• over·credu·lous·ness noun
• un·credu·lous adjective
• un·credu·lous·ly adverb
• un·credu·lous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of credulous¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin crēdulus, equivalent to crēdere “to believe” + -ulus adjective suffix denoting a quality or tendency; -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of credulous¹

C16: from Latin crēdulus, from crēdere to believe

Example Sentences

We don’t think Rogan is a malevolent person, but he is credulous, and he was convinced.

From Slate

Such pronouncements have often elicited credulous reactions from Musk’s interviewers.

From Los Angeles Times

Worse yet is that one of the central pillars of social media is owned by an credulous doofus who’s positioned himself as sometimes consigliere, sometimes rally clown, to the Trump campaign.

From Slate

This is what Supreme Court reporting needs to become: less credulous academic translating of a handful of judicial opinions and more cultivation of inside sources, procuring of confidential memos, and production of massive scoops.

From Slate

Some credulous observers might genuinely believe that Trump will abandon anti-abortion voters once he can no longer run for reelection.

From Slate