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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Recent Examples of gullibility
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
Ignoring the problem of online gullibility felt irresponsible – even negligent.
—Sam Wineburg, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2025
As Nathan notes, the excuses players come up with often test a true fan’s gullibility.
—Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2025
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
Ignoring the problem of online gullibility felt irresponsible – even negligent.
—Sam Wineburg, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2025
As Nathan notes, the excuses players come up with often test a true fan’s gullibility.
—Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gullibility
Noun
-
Molière’s play indicts Orgon’s credulity and Tartuffe’s deceit equally.—
Henry Alford,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
-
Except for the fact that, straining credulity, Epstein is real.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
17 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
-
Behind the classy presentation is a working-class spirit, one that honors the simplicity of showing up, being yourself and doing your job.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The rover’s two-wheel design reflects UEL’s emphasis on surface mobility and system simplicity.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Had one of his schools swiped a Big Ten athlete under contract (with tampering as the mechanism), Sankey’s credibility on the issue would have been severely undercut and his relationship with Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti might have been damaged.—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Diplomacy is preferable, but diplomacy without credibility is meaningless.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
semafor.com,
9 Jan. 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
Cite this Entry
“Gullibility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gullibility. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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