adjective

incredulous

in-KRED-yuh-luhss

Incredulous (adjective) means unwilling or unable to believe something, and showing it. Example: “She gave him an incredulous stare when he said he had walked the whole way.”

adjective

Unwilling or unable to believe something, and showing it.

"She gave him an incredulous stare when he said he had walked the whole way."

"'You paid what?' he said, incredulous."

How to Use Incredulous

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishYou can't believe what you have just heard.

When to use it

Neutral to formal; very common in narrative writing.

Memory tip

The noun is incredulity, meaning the state of not believing something.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

incredible → credulous incredulity

Common pairings

incredulous look frankly incredulous incredulous laughter sound incredulous

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She gave him an _____ stare when he said he had walked the whole way.

Etymology

From Latin incredulus, formed from in- 'not' and credulus 'believing', from credere 'to believe'.

Origin: Latin

Synonyms

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disbelieving sceptical unconvinced doubtful dubious

Antonyms

credulous convinced trusting

Related Words

sure certain sold doubt convinced satisfied unlikely suspicious

Rhymes for incredulous

yous nous pious joyous heinous ominous curious anxious copious tenuous tedious spurious

See all rhymes for incredulous →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between incredulous and incredible?

Incredulous describes the person who cannot believe something; incredible describes the thing that is hard to believe. The listener is incredulous, the story is incredible. Only people and their expressions can be incredulous.

What is the difference between incredulous and credulous?

They are opposites. Credulous means too ready to believe things, which is a criticism; incredulous means unwilling to believe something, usually because it sounds implausible.

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