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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of credulousness Her credulousness has actually served Fox as a legal defense, since a person has to know a statement was false or show reckless disregard for the truth in order to be held liable for defamation. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for credulousness
  1. credulity
  2. gullibility
  3. belief
  4. simplicity
  5. credibility
Noun
  • What’s worse is the scene that follows, revealing the clean-up of multiple bodies and an elaborate rewriting of the narrative that strains credulity to put it mildly, not to mention shortchanging the Mexican characters.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The earlier series has increasingly strained credulity by having its romance plots hinge on inequalities of gender and class, but seldom of race.
    — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of credulity
Noun
  • Both films expose the massive gullibility and brazenness in every rung of American society.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Beyond the mystery at the novel’s core, Candlish examines themes of #MeToo harassment, truth versus fiction in social media trends, boomerang kids, and the fine line between gullibility and trust.
    — The Know, Denver Post, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of gullibility
Noun
  • Tschurtschenthaler and Beetz said this was partly in response to a belief the market is becoming increasingly commercial just as the film festivals that have traditionally underpinned their business model chase artistic movies.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The Islamophobic baiting scams identified by researchers operate in the overlapping spheres of right-wing politics, cryptocurrency and conspiratorial belief.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of belief
Noun
  • One can treat it as an indelible feature of human psychology, an unavoidable by-product of our appetite for simplicity and affiliation.
    — Paul Bloom, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Despite the beery bonhomie and singalong-friendly simplicity of their tunes, the Twisted Teens are grappling with an increasingly complex tangle of contradictions and tensions.
    — Stuart Berman, Pitchfork, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of simplicity
Noun
  • From a risk management and credibility perspective, a 50-basis point hike in Bank Rate is ‘good policy’.
    — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Gareth Skewis, who co-founded the company with Lev Tanju, cites this as one of the core reasons the international, multi-million-pound business has been able to expand and maintain its credibility in subcultures across the globe.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of credibility

Browse Nearby Words

credulously
credulousness
creed
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Cite this Entry

“Credulousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/credulousness. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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