incredulous

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An incredulous person is someone who is extremely skeptical or disbelieving, often because what they're being told seems too amazing or unbelievable.

When people use the word "incredulous" in everyday conversation, it usually means that they're reacting with shock or doubt to something surprising. Imagine hearing a friend tell you that they won a huge lottery jackpot - at first, you might be incredulous, thinking it's just not possible. Or maybe someone tells you about an amazing coincidence that happened to them - again, you'd probably feel incredulous until you hear the whole story. This is especially common when people are sharing incredible or unbelievable news, like winning a big award or meeting their favorite celebrity.

How common is "incredulous"?

Word incredulous is considered rare in modern English.
It appears most frequently in fiction texts and less often in other writings.

Definitions

adjective

Skeptical, disbelieving, or unable to believe.
Expressing or indicative of incredulity.
(largely obsolete, now only nonstandard) Difficult to believe; incredible.
Example: 1984, Supreme Court of Illinois, opinion in People v Terrell, 459 N.E.2d 1337, quoted in David C. Brody, James R. Acker, and Wayne A. Logan, Criminal Law, Jones & Bartlett Publishers (2001), →ISBN, page 564, Faced with these facts, we find it incredulous that [the] defendant had any intent other than the armed robbery of the service station.

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Real examples of "incredulous" in context

The Egg - A Short Story

Entertainment

Wow, you said incredulous. You mean I'm a god? No, not yet. You're a fetus. You're still growing.

6:53

incredulous

How common is "incredulous"?

adjective

Real examples of "incredulous" in context

The Egg - A Short Story

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