Incredulous Definition & Meaning

American

British

Related Words

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms incredulous American [in-krej-uh-luhs] / ɪnˈkrɛdʒ ə ləs /

adjective

1. not credulous; disinclined or indisposed to believe; skeptical

2. indicating or showing unbelief.

   an incredulous smile.

incredulous British / ɪnˈkrɛdjʊləs /

adjective

1. (often foll by of) not prepared or willing to believe (something); unbelieving

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See doubtful.

Other Word Forms

• incredulously adverb
• incredulousness noun

Etymology

Origin of incredulous

From the Latin word incrēdulus, dating back to 1525–35; in- 3, credulous

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But when they showed him on the map where they had left Brian, the pilot was incredulous.

From Literature

Owen stood and watched, incredulous, as the entire pond drained away in less than five minutes.

From Literature

“There are many types of beauty,” he tries to explain to an incredulous Abigail.

From The Wall Street Journal

I ask, slightly incredulous at how this detail has only emerged 29 years later.

From BBC

Curious onlookers filmed the scene on their smartphones, many still incredulous at the speed and magnitude of the day's events.

From Barron's

Related Words

• doubtful
• hesitant
• quizzical
• skeptical
• suspicious
• unconvinced
• unsatisfied

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.