credulous

adjective

Definition of credulousnext
as in naive
too willing to believe things without substantial proof Few people are credulous enough to believe such nonsense. a credulous audience

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of credulous The plot involving Alison’s residency at an elite scholarly retreat is a bit less compelling, perhaps because Alison can seem a bit credulous. — Elizabeth Toohey, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Apr. 2026 That act of imagination—that force of creative will, directed upon one’s own inner vision—is far more interesting to me than either a purely functionalist understanding of flight or a purely credulous one. — Chandler Fritz, The New York Review of Books, 21 Mar. 2026 The dissenting conservatives—Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito—who were sympathetic to major questions in its prior applications are more credulous this time. — Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026 Frequently, the seniors and social media debate tends to adopt a blanket approach, framing them as passive algorithmic victims that are credulous, overwhelmed and in need of rescue. — Angelica Mari, Forbes.com, 12 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for credulous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for credulous
  1. naive
  2. gullible
  3. innocent
Adjective
  • Sutskever is portrayed as the idealistic, naive hero — the ingenious mind behind the lab’s entire existence who can’t stomach lying and is reluctant to accumulate any power.
    — Hayden Field, The Verge, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Rebecca and Verity, which stars Johnson, are also about a new, naïve lover entering the home of a bad man with a wife hidden in his house of horrors.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of naive
Adjective
  • Eleven gullible idiots were talked into acquitting because of an imaginary female ailment.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Journalists being preyed upon, journalists taking it to the man, journalists being gullible, whatever.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of gullible
Adjective
  • More than 150 innocent civilians were also killed in those strikes, according to a report released by the Pentagon this August.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • In England, poet William Cowper portrayed Mai as an innocent corrupted by European society.
    — Saar Shahar, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of innocent

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credulity
credulous
credulously
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Cite this Entry

“Credulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/credulous. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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