What does incredulous mean?
Incredulous means feeling or showing that you cannot believe something because it seems surprising, unlikely, or impossible. The word is commonly used for a person's reaction: an incredulous expression, voice, or look can convey astonishment, scepticism, or both. For example, someone might respond to a remarkable story with an incredulous stare, while another person could be incredulous about a claim they regard as exaggerated. The adjective is not restricted to formal writing and is common in everyday speech, although its tone is generally more controlled than a direct exclamation such as “I can't believe it!” It comes from a Latin root meaning “unbelieving” and is related to credible, incredible, credit, and credulous.
adjectiveFeeling or expressing disbelief because something seems surprising, unlikely, or impossible. It can describe either a person's reaction or an expression of scepticism.
- Feeling or expressing strong disbelief or scepticism, especially because something appears surprising, unlikely, or impossible.
- Showing astonishment or amazement as well as an unwillingness to accept what has been said.
- Used attributively to describe a look, voice, expression, or reaction that conveys disbelief.
"She gave him an incredulous look when he claimed to have found the missing keys."
"The witnesses were incredulous when the seemingly harmless building collapsed."
"He looked incredulous, as if he could not believe that the meeting had been cancelled."
Incredulous comes from the Latin incredulus, literally “unbelieving,” combining in- (“not”) with credere (“to believe”); the same root gives us credible, credit, and incredible.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does incredulous come from?
Incredulous comes from Latin incredulus, meaning “unbelieving” or “incredulous,” formed from in-, meaning “not,” and credere, meaning “to believe.” English borrowed the word in the 16th century, initially with the sense of “unbelieving” or “incredulous.” Its relatives include credible, credit, incredible, and credulous, all of which belong to the same Latin root of belief and trust.
Related word forms
How incredulous is actually used
Incredulous usually describes a person's reaction or manner and can suggest either polite scepticism or open astonishment. In British English, sceptic is commonly spelled with a c, while skeptical is the usual American spelling.
Easily confused with incredulous
Incredible means extraordinarily difficult to believe or astonishingly good, whereas incredulous describes a person or reaction characterized by disbelief.