gullibility

Definition of gullibilitynext
as in naïveté
readiness to believe the claims of others without sufficient evidence teased her about her well-known gullibility by repeatedly offering to sell her the Brooklyn Bridge

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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 gullibility Members must accommodate themselves to its fictions, with varying mixtures of gullibility and cynicism; followers shown proof that the leader has lied may admire him all the more for his tactical cleverness. David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 Mason highlights – with levity and humor – how erroneous ideas, gullibility, and blinders can lead even people who should know better down rabbit holes. Monitor Reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 23 July 2026 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, 13 May 2026 These forces—economic uncertainty, political division, and toxic algorithms—work in a vicious cycle to try and tell us that empathy is weakness… that kindness is gullibility… that sincerity is for suckers. Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026 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 And in a world where time is money, conditions are ripe for a perfect storm of greed, deceit, and willful gullibility—all in the hope of getting ahead faster than the rest. Luis E. Romero, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gullibility
Noun
  • Because these stories have to dramatize a search for normalcy, its leads tend to be awkward in ways that strain credulity.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
  • Cape Fear strains credulity a little by making Natalie too easy a mark.
    Scott Tobias, Vulture, 19 June 2026
Noun
  • White, Clark and others with the Fever have been asked to respond to Cunningham’s beliefs since, and other voices in the league have weighed in as well.
    Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026
  • States without personal-belief exemptions consistently have higher vaccination rates – and are less likely to see outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases – than states that do allow them.
    Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Listing just seven items on the menu, Sehzade Cag Kebap impresses with simplicity, outstanding flavors, and efficient service.
    CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The trending eye shadow aesthetics have evolved since then, and simplicity is reigning in its place.
    Elle Turner, Glamour, 8 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Your credibility grows when your message is clear, useful, and calm enough to move the work forward.
    Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2026
  • But the film is most compelling throughout as a straightforward domestic drama, with increasingly fraught family dynamics lending proceedings a baseline of credibility even as whatever’s happening outside the house remains largely inscrutable.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The simpleness of the look really allowed the Crocs to stand out and make an impression.
    Tara Larson, Footwear News, 14 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Gullibility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gullibility. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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