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
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
While Mare blossoms quickly under his guidance, the rest lag doltishly behind, using journalism as a pretext to confront an ex, or getting duped by some teens into writing a credulous account of a preposterous youth trend.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 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
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
While Mare blossoms quickly under his guidance, the rest lag doltishly behind, using journalism as a pretext to confront an ex, or getting duped by some teens into writing a credulous account of a preposterous youth trend.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 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
-
This season, that naive system would’ve won $2,400.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
And that seems to be a quite naïve view.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The show's plot involves a corrupt mayor, gullible townspeople and a kindhearted Bigfoot who longs for community.—
Reena Advani,
NPR,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The result is that the current generation of LLMs is far more gullible than people.—
Bruce Schneier,
IEEE Spectrum,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Heppner pleaded innocent and was released on $25-million bail.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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How many soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen and innocent bystanders must die or be horribly wounded to satisfy our hubris?—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Preterm and low-birth-weight babies are at higher risk than full-term babies of developing NEC, potentially because of their immature digestive systems, according to the National Institutes of Health.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
-
When the eggs hatch, the immature stages start feeding.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Credulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/credulous. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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