credulity
credulity — noun
1. the habit of believing things too quickly, even when there is very little proof
the habit of believing things too quickly, even when there is very little proof or good reason, so that other people can easily take advantage of you.
Naoko's credulity made her an easy target for online scammers who sold her fake travel packages.
credulity + possessive noun phrase: [person]'s credulity
The plot of that film strains credulity — no one would believe a secret agent could survive such an explosion.
strain credulity: common collocation for unlikely stories
Vivek's credulity was such that he believed every rumour his coworkers told him about the new manager.
Adina shook her head at her brother's credulity when he gave money to a stranger who promised to double it.
The journalist's account of the events tests the reader's credulity with its many unlikely coincidences.
- gullibility
more common in everyday language; credulity is more formal and often used in writing
- naivety
focuses on lack of experience or worldliness rather than a tendency to believe
- trustfulness
has a more positive tone, suggesting innocence rather than foolishness
- incredulity
the state of being unwilling or unable to believe something
- skepticism
a habit of questioning claims and demanding evidence before accepting them
- disbelief
refusal or inability to accept something as true
文法句型
credulity + of [person]
strains/test/taxes (one's) credulity
用法筆記
Commonly appears in fixed verb phrases such as strain credulity, test credulity, or tax credulity when describing stories, explanations, or claims that are hard to accept.