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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Recent Examples of credulous
The government’s offers of dialogue with the protesters ring hollow as it is meant as a pressure valve internationally—for credulous Westerners who believe Iran’s political system is capable of reform—and domestically.
—
Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
On Ukraine, the new strategy does little more than make assertions, many of them too sanguine about what the country needs to survive and too credulous about Russia’s potential to serve as a constructive regional actor.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2025
Guy seems pretty credulous here, especially after Doris tells him, finally, about the fate of poor Soledad.
—Lily Osler, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
But like populism’s critique of insider politics, the outsider critique of the medical establishment has always struggled to offer an alternative vision that’s rigorous rather than credulous.
—Ross Douthat, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for credulous
Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
On Ukraine, the new strategy does little more than make assertions, many of them too sanguine about what the country needs to survive and too credulous about Russia’s potential to serve as a constructive regional actor.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2025
Guy seems pretty credulous here, especially after Doris tells him, finally, about the fate of poor Soledad.
—Lily Osler, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
But like populism’s critique of insider politics, the outsider critique of the medical establishment has always struggled to offer an alternative vision that’s rigorous rather than credulous.
—Ross Douthat, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for credulous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for credulous
Adjective
-
What became their sound, more so than instrumentation, was this naive form of optimism.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Any certainty—my certainty—about most guys being good guys seems naive.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
More like a memo from the dictator, telling gullible loyalists what to think.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
-
No Muscovite would be so gullible as to assume the government was on their side.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Of all of the arguments against the death penalty, the strongest is that even one conviction of an innocent person is both irreversible and ethically untenable.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Of course, the criminal justice system has checks that should prevent innocent people from being convicted of crimes, but that doesn’t mean a prosecutor willing to eschew ethics and norms can’t make someone’s life miserable.—
Barbara McQuade,
Twin Cities,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The landscaping was sparse and immature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The two did a nice job portraying teenagers who go back and forth from sincere to ridiculously immature, but the best part was their horror when Jost fired back.—
Omar L. Gallaga,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Credulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/credulous. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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