credulousness

noun

as in credulity
readiness to believe the claims of others without sufficient evidence her inveterate credulousness makes her an easy target for practical jokes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for credulousness
  1. credulity
  2. gullibility
  3. belief
  4. simplicity
  5. credibility
Noun
  • Cape Fear strains credulity a little by making Natalie too easy a mark.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 19 June 2026
  • Box Elder is all of that, multiplied to a scale that strains credulity.
    — Michael Posner, Forbes.com, 9 June 2026
Definition of credulity
Noun
  • With no way to secure this crucial boundary, Microsoft and its peers are left to erect complicated and ad hoc guardrails designed to rein in the consequences of this incurable gullibility.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 16 June 2026
  • Their bond — both are outsiders who suffered abuse as children — is one of the few emotional soft spots in the otherwise fast-moving series about America’s rotten power structure, manipulative media and the gullibility of the public.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Definition of gullibility
Noun
  • That belief gives the practice its foundation, though the daily expression shows up in more practical ways.
    — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • The belief that life goes on, even if you’re battered and broken.
    — Marissa Stapley, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
Definition of belief
Noun
  • Apple’s entire business is predicated on the consumer desire for simplicity.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 11 July 2026
  • But beyond speed and simplicity, the Breakaway/Build model also requires trust.
    — Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 10 July 2026
Definition of simplicity
Noun
  • Citation asks whether a search engine (or AI tool) can lift a clear, defensible claim from your source and attach its own credibility to it.
    — Meghna Deshraj, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Weber believes the massive success of the GLP-1 drugs for diabetes and weight loss has lent an air of credibility to these injectable wellness peptides, even though those drugs underwent extensive human trials before coming to market.
    — Will Stone, NPR, 8 July 2026
Definition of credibility
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.

Browse Nearby Words

credulously
credulousness
creed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Credulousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/credulousness. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of yaw

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All