gullible

play

adjective gull·ible \ ˈgə-lə-bəl \

variants: or less commonly gullable

Definition of gullible

:easily duped or cheated

selling overpriced souvenirs to gullible tourists

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gullibility

play \ˌgə-lə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

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gullibly

play \ˈgə-lə-blē\ adverb

See gullible defined for English-language learners

See gullible defined for kids

gullible was our Word of the Day on 07/30/2011. Hear the podcast!

Examples of gullible in a Sentence

I'm not gullible enough to believe something that outrageous.
They sell overpriced souvenirs to gullible tourists.

Recent Examples of gullible from the Web

Eddie Murphy plays multiple roles but stars as the optimistic yet gullible Prince Akeem, a young heir to the throne of the fictional African kingdom Zamunda.

— sara aridi, New York Times, "What’s on TV Wednesday: ‘Huang’s World’ and ‘Reg’," 30 Aug. 2017
Yes, Russia did meddle in last year’s presidential election, but people have to be gullible and racist enough to be exploited by Moscow’s deployment of right-wing fake news appearing in their social media timelines.

— terrell jermaine starr, The Root, "How Russia Used Racism to Hack White Voters," 9 Aug. 2017
The more gullible of them believed Cece's snow job and her mean stories about me.

— lynne curry, Alaska Dispatch News, "Keep workplace manipulators from getting the better of you," 27 June 2017
Some might wish to pretend that rising seas are a hoax perpetrated by scientists and a gullible news media.

— the new york times, NOLA.com, "The Dutch teach Louisiana, others, how to cope with rising sea," 16 June 2017
Adam Fisher’s Gaius touchingly flowered from gullible teenager to sensual lover to warrior.

— mark swed, latimes.com, "'Young Caesar' finally conquers: Troubled 1971 opera is reborn at Disney Hall," 14 June 2017
The Miami Marlins hope there are 15,194 gullible minutes out there.

— david whitley, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Marlins testing how desperate fans can be," 10 June 2017
Psychographic algorithms allow strategists to target not just angry racists but also the most intellectually gullible individuals, people who make decisions emotionally rather than cognitively.

— nina burleigh, Newsweek, "How Big Data Mines Personal Info to Craft Fake News and Manipulate Voters," 8 June 2017
The other category is made of small thieves who are stealing credit cards, opening a fake account on eBay and pretending to sell some goods to gullible people.

— vlad odobescu, USA TODAY, "Romania: Haven for hackers turned cyber sleuths," 3 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gullible.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

A recent commenter on our Web site asked, "Is gullibility a word"? Yes, it's entered as a run-on at our entry for "gullible," along with "gullibly." All three of these words descend from the verb gull, meaning "to deceive or take advantage of." The verb "gull" was borrowed into English from Anglo-French in the mid-16th century. Another relative is the noun "gull," referring to a person who is easy to cheat - no relation to the familiar word for a sea bird, which is of Celtic origin.