as in gullibility
readiness to believe the claims of others without sufficient evidence
the quack pushing the phony medicine was taking advantage of the credulity of people hoping for miracle cures
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Recent Examples of credulity
In his absence — and the long-term absences, at various times, of Barnes, Quickley, Barrett, Poeltl, Kelly Olynyk and others — the Raptors have had to throw out some lineups that strain credulity as legitimate NBA lineups.
—
Eric Koreen, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024
Confounding elements proliferate the picture, mostly dealing with character behaviors and situations that either strain credulity (like the Santa photo-op still running past the bar’s closing time) or lead to more questions than answers.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 19 Nov. 2024
In less assured hands, the combination of genres might have backfired terribly, but director Alan Gibson shepherds the production through its various tones without ever straining credulity in a way that impedes the entertainment value.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 30 Oct. 2024
But the plot strains credulity to the breaking point.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 27 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for credulity
Eric Koreen, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024
Confounding elements proliferate the picture, mostly dealing with character behaviors and situations that either strain credulity (like the Santa photo-op still running past the bar’s closing time) or lead to more questions than answers.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 19 Nov. 2024
In less assured hands, the combination of genres might have backfired terribly, but director Alan Gibson shepherds the production through its various tones without ever straining credulity in a way that impedes the entertainment value.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 30 Oct. 2024
But the plot strains credulity to the breaking point.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 27 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for credulity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for credulity
Noun
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But that week, belief felt like the scarcest resource of all.—
Curt Steinhorst,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
-
With antisemitic beliefs already at their highest levels in decades, and with Jewish communities around the world facing a tsunami of antisemitic harassment and vandalism, especially post-Oct. 7, his comments about Jews and praise for Hitler are reaching a younger, more susceptible audience.—
Jonathan A. Greenblatt,
HollywoodReporter,
29 May 2025
Noun
-
Is there intimidation, naivete, fear of being alone?—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
24 Apr. 2025
-
On the contrary, the narrative voice mixes naivete and disbelief.—
Bartolomeo Sala,
The Dial,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The simplicity of getting your feet wet with these tools means that most of your time will be spent dealing with a company's security and compliance teams.—
Jeff Catlin,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
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So perhaps the clearest difference between the final months of O’Neil and the early months of Pereira has been simplicity.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
Noun
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IndyCar issued penalties to the team, and Roger Penske later fired his three top IndyCar officials in an attempt to restore trust and credibility from both fans and those in the IndyCar paddock.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
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In an era where anyone can generate a realistic video of anything for $1.50, the credibility of the source becomes our primary anchor to truth.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Credulity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/credulity. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.
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