1
Core quality
Unwilling or unable to believe something; showing strong disbelief.
Example
The audience was incredulous when the result was announced.
incredulous
/ɪnˈkredjələs/ · in-KREJ-uh-lusadjective
Unwilling or unable to believe something; showing strong disbelief.
Use incredulous to express this relationship precisely: unwilling or unable to believe something; showing strong disbelief.
What incredulous Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Attributive or predicative use
Use this adjective before a suitable noun or after a linking verb such as be or seem.
Example
She gave an incredulous laugh at the impossible claim.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact descriptive quality matters; a related word may overlap without conveying the same trait.
Example
Reviewers were sceptical but not entirely incredulous.
Use incredulous Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The audience was incredulous when the result was announced.
She gave an incredulous laugh at the impossible claim.
Reviewers were sceptical but not entirely incredulous.
Precision Matters
Incredulous overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
incredulous
vs.Means unwilling or unable to believe something; showing strong disbelief.
gullible
Means easily persuaded to believe false claims or easily deceived.
incredulous
vs.Means unwilling or unable to believe something; showing strong disbelief.
credulous
Means too ready to believe claims and therefore easily deceived.
incredulous
vs.Means unwilling or unable to believe something; showing strong disbelief.
avid
Means having or showing intense enthusiasm, eagerness, or interest in something.
incredulous
vs.Means unwilling or unable to believe something; showing strong disbelief.
cynical
Means distrustful of people's motives and inclined to believe that self-interest rather than sincerity guides behaviour.
Test incredulous in Context
They found the claim extremely difficult to believe.
1
When told that the bridge had been built in a single day, historians were ___.