Incredulous — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /(ˌ)in-ˈkre-jə-ləs/ in·cred·u·lous

Meaning & Definition of Incredulous

Incredulous (adjective)

  1. unwilling to admit or accept what is offered as true, not credulous, skeptical
  2. expressing incredulity
  3. incredible

Incredulous (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. inclined to doubt or question claims

    "incredulous by nature, I'm of course very suspicious of anyone who claims to be able to communicate with the dead"

    similar: disbelieving, distrustful, doubting, mistrustful, negativistic, questioning, show-me, skeptical, suspecting, suspicious, unbelieving
    related: paranoid, critical, puzzled, quizzical, careful, cautious, guarded, gun-shy, leery, wary, watchful, cynical, experienced, knowing, sophisticated, worldly, worldly-wise, curious, inquiring, inquisitive, nosy, snoopy, uncertain, unconvinced, undecided, undetermined, unsettled, unsure, hesitant
    opposite: credulous, gullible, trustful, trusting, uncritical, unquestioning
    near: green, ingenuous, innocent, naive, simple, simpleminded, unknowing, unsophisticated, unworldly, wide-eyed, certain, confident, positive, sure, callow, inexperienced, raw, childlike, idealistic, impractical, beguiled, deceived, duped, gulled, tricked, careless, heedless, unsuspecting, unsuspicious, unwary

  2. too extraordinary or improbable to believe

    "an incredulous account of alien abduction that the tabloids had a field day with"

    similar: fantastic, implausible, inconceivable, incredible, unbelievable, uncompelling, unconceivable, unconvincing, unimaginable, unthinkable, full of it
    related: debatable, disputable, dodgy (chiefly British), doubtable, doubtful, dubious, dubitable, far-fetched, fishy, flimsy, questionable, shaky, suspect, suspicious, unlikely, unreasonable, hopeless, impossible, absurd, comical, farcical, laughable, ludicrous, outlandish, preposterous, ridiculous, risible, silly, indefensible, insupportable, untenable
    opposite: believable, cogitable, conceivable, convincing, credible, creditable, imaginable, plausible, supposable, thinkable
    near: likely, possible, probable, reasonable, certain, incontestable, indisputable, indubitable, questionless, sure, undeniable, undoubted, unquestionable

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Incredulous

The most common words with a similar meaning to Incredulous:

disbelieving, distrustful, doubting, mistrustful, negativistic, questioning, show-me, skeptical, suspecting, suspicious, unbelieving, fantastic, implausible, inconceivable, incredible, unbelievable, uncompelling, unconceivable, unconvincing, unimaginable, unthinkable, full of it

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Incredulous

Words with the opposite meaning of Incredulous:

credulous, gullible, trustful, trusting, uncritical, unquestioning, believable, cogitable, conceivable, convincing, credible, creditable, imaginable, plausible, supposable, thinkable

Related Words for Incredulous

paranoid, critical, puzzled, quizzical, careful, cautious, guarded, gun-shy, leery, wary, watchful, cynical, experienced, knowing, sophisticated, worldly, worldly-wise, curious, inquiring, inquisitive, nosy, snoopy, uncertain, unconvinced, undecided, undetermined, unsettled, unsure, hesitant, debatable

Near Antonyms of Incredulous

green, ingenuous, innocent, naive, simple, simpleminded, unknowing, unsophisticated, unworldly, wide-eyed, certain, confident, positive, sure, callow, inexperienced, raw, childlike, idealistic, impractical, beguiled, deceived, duped, gulled, tricked, careless, heedless, unsuspecting, unsuspicious, unwary

Word Forms of Incredulous

Derived words: incredulously (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Incredulous

Latin incredulus, from in- + credulus credulous

First known use: circa 1562

Frequently Asked Questions about Incredulous

What does "Incredulous" mean?

"Incredulous" means unwilling to admit or accept what is offered as true, not credulous, skeptical. As an adjective, it is defined as: unwilling to admit or accept what is offered as true, not credulous, skeptical. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Incredulous"?

Other words for "Incredulous" include disbelieving, distrustful, doubting, mistrustful, negativistic, questioning, show-me and skeptical. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Incredulous" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Incredulous"?

There are 81 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Incredulous". Common alternatives include disbelieving, distrustful, doubting, mistrustful, negativistic, questioning, show-me, skeptical, suspecting and suspicious.

What is the opposite of "Incredulous"?

Antonyms of "Incredulous" include credulous, gullible, trustful, trusting, uncritical, unquestioning, believable and cogitable. Near antonyms include green, ingenuous, innocent and naive.

How do you use "Incredulous" in a sentence?

Examples of "Incredulous" in a sentence: "incredulous by nature, I'm of course very suspicious of anyone who claims to be able to communicate with the dead"; "an incredulous account of alien abduction that the tabloids had a field day with".

Is "Incredulous" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Incredulous" is an adjective.

How do you pronounce "Incredulous"?

"Incredulous" is pronounced /(ˌ)in-ˈkre-jə-ləs/ and divided into syllables as in·cred·u·lous.

What is the origin of the word "Incredulous"?

"Incredulous" comes from Latin incredulus, from in- + credulus credulous. First known use: circa 1562.