What does credulous mean?
Credulous is an adjective describing someone who believes things too readily — who accepts claims, stories, or promises as true without pausing to ask for evidence. It sits at the negative end of a spectrum that runs from healthy open-mindedness through naive trust to outright gullibility. A credulous investor signs paperwork without reading it; a credulous audience accepts a magician's tall tales at face value. The word derives from the Latin credere, meaning 'to believe', the same root behind credible, credential, and credit — so a credulous person is, etymologically speaking, one who hands out belief the way a careless lender hands out loans: freely, and often unwisely. Credulous is more formal than its near-synonym gullible and appears frequently in journalism, criticism, and everyday commentary to describe individuals or whole publics taken in by frauds, hoaxes, or flattery. Its noun form, credulity, names this disposition itself.
adjectiveHaving or showing a tendency to believe things too readily or too easily; too willing to accept claims without sufficient evidence or proof.
- Showing a disposition to believe too readily; gullible — willing to accept claims, stories, or promises as true without adequate evidence or critical examination.
"The con artist preyed on credulous tourists who believed every word of his story about buried treasure."
"Only the most credulous reader could swallow such an obviously fabricated tale."
"He was too credulous for his own good, signing the contract before anyone had checked the company even existed."
From Latin 'credulus' meaning simply 'believing' — the same root that gives us 'credit' and 'credentials', which is why a credulous person is one who extends belief far too easily, like extending credit to a stranger with no collateral.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of credulous
Credulous comes from the Latin credulus, meaning 'believing readily or easily', formed from credere ('to believe') plus the adjectival suffix -ulus. It entered English in the late 16th or early 17th century, likely influenced by French crédule. It shares its Latin root credere with a wide family of English words including credible, credit, credentials, and incredible, all of which revolve around the idea of belief or trustworthiness. Its direct noun derivative is credulity (from Latin credulitas).
Related word forms
How credulous is actually used
Carries a mildly negative connotation, implying a lack of healthy skepticism rather than mere innocence. More formal in register than 'gullible'; common in journalism and literary criticism. Often applied to groups ('the credulous masses') to suggest collective naivety.
Easily confused with credulous
Incredible describes something too extraordinary to be believed, while credulous describes a person who believes things too easily.
Credible means believable or worthy of trust, whereas credulous describes someone who is too ready to believe without proof.