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
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
Critics say internal panic over this dynamic caused Fox to give overly credulous coverage to false claims of election fraud.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 19 July 2025
To those of us who look to the Doctor to represent a kind of super-powered secular humanism, the show's credulous embrace of religion and superstition feels like a breach of contract with the viewer.
—Glen Weldon, NPR, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for credulous
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
Critics say internal panic over this dynamic caused Fox to give overly credulous coverage to false claims of election fraud.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 19 July 2025
To those of us who look to the Doctor to represent a kind of super-powered secular humanism, the show's credulous embrace of religion and superstition feels like a breach of contract with the viewer.
—Glen Weldon, NPR, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for credulous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for credulous
Adjective
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The naive notion that America protects its own has remained largely intact, until the current administration declared that anyone who’s not with them is against them.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
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So like Dorthy Gale, Gail is a naive young girl from Kansas.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The result is that the current generation of LLMs is far more gullible than people.—
Bruce Schneier,
IEEE Spectrum,
21 Jan. 2026
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Norris’s archetypically American tale gave Stroheim an opportunity to build on his earlier depictions of Americans abroad as gullible and oblivious.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
17 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Mangione has pleaded innocent to federal and state murder charges; the state charges carry the possibility of life in prison.—
MICHAEL R. SISAK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
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Several right-wing social media figures and conservative commentators have also shared the video and suggested that Pretti was not an innocent bystander, but rather someone who was deliberately seeking confrontation.—
Siladitya Ray,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Unlike older drugs, this formula safely accounts for a baby’s immature metabolism.—
Kwesi Akonu Adom Mensah Forson,
The Conversation,
26 Jan. 2026
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This is really a way to tell the story from a much more immature point of view.—
Joe Lynch,
Billboard,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Credulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/credulous. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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