credulity

credulity
(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)
Willingness to believe
Nouns
1. credulity, credulousness, gullibility, ingenuousness, naiveté; self-delusion, self-deception; superstition; one's blind side; blind faith. See belief.
2. superstition, old wives' tale, popular belief; urban myth.
3. dupe, gull, April fool. Informal, sucker, fruit, pigeon, schlemiel, tool, woodcock, zib, jay, [Joe] Schmo, [easy] mark, sap, schnook, patsy, pushover.
Verbs
1. be credulous; fall for, take on trust or faith, take for granted, take for gospel; run away with a notion or idea, jump or rush to a conclusion; take the shadow for the substance; catch at straws; bite, take the bait, buy a pup, accept a wooden nickel. Informal, swallow [whole], gulp down, eat or lap up, swallow hook, line and sinker, go for, buy [into].
2. be superstitious, take on faith; knock on wood, cross oneself, keep one's fingers crossed.
3. (take advantage of one's credulity) impose upon, dupe, gull, delude, deceive (see deception).Slang, vic.
Adjectives — credulous, gullible, ingenuous; easily deceived, unsuspecting, simple, green, soft, childish, silly, stupid; overcredulous, overconfident; superstitious.
Quotations — They'll take a suggestion as a cat laps milk (Shakespeare), Superstition is the religion of feeble minds (Edmund Burke), There's a sucker born every minute (Joseph Bessimer).
Antonyms, see incredulity.

English dictionary for students. 2013.

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Synonyms:
, (on slight evidence),


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Credulity — is a state of willingness to believe in one or many people or things in the absence of reasonable proof or knowledge. Credulity is not simply belief in something that may be false. The subject of the belief may even be correct, but a credulous… …   Wikipedia

  • Credulity — Cre*du li*ty (kr? d? l? t?), n. [L. credulitas, fr. credulus: cf. F. cr[ e]dulit[ e]. See {Credulous}.] Readiness of belief; a disposition to believe on slight evidence. [1913 Webster] That implict credulity is the mark of a feeble mind will not… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • credulity — I noun belief, blind faith, credulitas, credulousness, deceivability, disposition to believe, easiness of belief, foolishness, gullibility, gullibleness, impressibility, innocence, lack of doubt, lack of dubiety, lack of dubiousness, lack of… …   Law dictionary

  • credulity — early 15c., from O.Fr. credulité (12c.), from L. credulitatem (nom. credulitas) easiness of belief, rash confidence, noun of quality from credulus (see CREDULOUS (Cf. credulous)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • credulity — gullibility (see under CREDULOUS) Analogous words: credence, credit, *belief Antonyms: incredulity: skepticism Contrasted words: *uncertainty, doubt, suspicion, mistrust …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • credulity — [krə do͞o′lə tē, krədyo͞o′lə tē] n. [ME credulite < OFr < L credulitas < credulus: see CREDULOUS] a tendency to believe too readily, esp. with little or no proof; lack of doubt …   English World dictionary

  • Credulity — (Roget s Thesaurus) < N PARAG:Credulity >N GRP: N 1 Sgm: N 1 credulity credulity credulousness &c. >Adj. Sgm: N 1 gullible gullible cullibility Sgm: N 1 gross credulity gross credulity infatuation Sgm: N 1 self delusion self delusion …   English dictionary for students

  • credulity — cre|du|li|ty [krıˈdju:lıti US ˈdu: ] n [U] formal willingness or ability to believe that something is true ▪ Advertisers were accused of exploiting consumers credulity. strain/stretch credulity (=seem very difficult to believe) ▪ It strained… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • credulity — noun (U) willingness or ability to believe that something is true: childish credulity | strain/stretch credulity: This explanation strained my credulity too far …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • credulity — noun /kɹɪˈdjuːlɪti/ a) A willingness to believe in someone or something in the absence of reasonable proof; credulousness. Do you think Mr. Allworthy hath more contempt for money than other men because he professes more? Such credulity would… …   Wiktionary

  • credulity — noun VERB + CREDULITY ▪ strain, stretch ▪ The plot of the novel stretches credulity to the limit …   Collocations dictionary

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