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
Noun
-
But many lawmakers, including some Republicans, said that explanation strained credulity given the scale of the mission.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026 -
Molière’s play indicts Orgon’s credulity and Tartuffe’s deceit equally.—
Henry Alford,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The Enlightenment faith in reason, science, and free speech, already weakened by the First World War, had been devastated by an unprecedented bureaucracy of mass death, sustained by technology, systematic deceit, widespread gullibility, and eager acquiescence.—
Victor J. Blue,
Harpers Magazine,
23 Nov. 2025
-
That’s the gullibility these movies tap into — our desire, underneath it all, to believe the impossible.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The long hours spent fishing were also good for meditating and reinforced his belief in the destiny marked out for him.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The latter movie musical, directed and co-written by Mona Fastvold, tells the story of the titular founder of the Shakers, who brought her religious beliefs from England to America in the 18th century.—
Jack Smart,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But accessibility is often confused with simplicity.—
Tony Bradley,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
-
When time is short, that simplicity is often what makes a gift feel thoughtful rather than last-minute.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Professionals who are self-assured don’t need to perform credibility.—
Britney Porter,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Smith repeatedly emphasized that his office conducted an independent investigation, but his refusal to acknowledge Hutchinson’s credibility problem directly left GOP lawmakers arguing that the episode revealed the partisan nature of Smith’s investigations.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Jan. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Credulousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/credulousness. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
