incredulous

adjective

(ˌ)in-ˈkre-jə-ləs How to pronounce incredulous (audio)
Definition of incredulousnext
1
as in skeptical
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in incredible
too extraordinary or improbable to believe an incredulous account of alien abduction that the tabloids had a field day with

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of incredulous California‘s seven Supreme Court justices appeared by turns perplexed by and incredulous of those theories during oral arguments last month. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026 Those reporting her firing or the incredulous facts supporting that fiction have exhibited a complete and utter reckless disregard for the truth. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026 When a boater posted footage of the new island on social media, incredulous officials thought the video was AI-generated, according to the New York Times. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 2 Sep. 2026 Besides, there are tree branches to bundle, coupons to clip, guacamole to toss out, incredulous news reports to run through Snopes and at least 20 spam texts to block. — Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incredulous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incredulous
  1. skeptical
  2. incredible
  3. suspicious
  4. unlikely
  5. cautious
  6. impossible
  7. disbelieving
  8. unbelievable
Adjective
  • Progressives like Melat Kiros have signaled their votes for Jeffries might be up for grabs unless their leadership embraces more left-leaning policies, but most Democrats are skeptical about major defections.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Gabriel, however, is more skeptical, arguing that infrastructure carries the incentives of the model that built it, making a brand with less influence likely to struggle to resist a parent company oriented around speed, efficiency, and growth.
    — Jessica Binns, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of skeptical
Adjective
  • Achieving incredible data transmission speed The researcher fabricated the device using a 300-millimeter silicon-on-insulator manufacturing process.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • This year’s incredible class of awardees includes Jason Bolden, Kellon Deryck, Molly Greenwald, Chris Horan, Amy Komorowski, Thuy Nguyen, Law Roach, and Trish Summerville.
    — InStyle, InStyle, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of incredible
Adjective
  • The authentication process combines human expertise and AI integration to flag any suspicious activity and ensure that listings follow commercial industry standards.
    — Sophie Lou Wilson, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026
  • What readers are saying The comments discuss a case involving a person who sent letters containing a suspicious substance, with many commenters criticizing the individual's intelligence for including his return address.
    — Violet Jira, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of suspicious
Adjective
  • Friedman began her remarks by reminding the audience of von Furstenberg’s unlikely beginning, born in Brussels to a Holocaust survivor.
    — Ariel Bielsky, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Dahlia Scheindlin, a veteran pollster who works for left-of-center candidates and parties in Israel, speculated that the number of returning overseas voters was unlikely to be big enough to change the outcome of the election.
    — Daniel Brook, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of unlikely
Adjective
  • Be cautious about unfamiliar apps with extensive permissions.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • And while Denton appears to be the right person to focus on cost savings and efficiencies, Wall Street remained cautious on the timing of Nike’s turnaround.
    — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of cautious
Adjective
  • Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense technology adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said long-standing restrictions on the civilian system in Ukraine made such offensive use impossible.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The two versions of Israel that could result are so divergent as to seem impossible to reconcile.
    — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of impossible
Adjective
  • During one scene, Scherrman appears for a few seconds as the catcher in a game interrupted by Timothy Busfield, the disbelieving brother-in-law of Kevin Costner's character Ray Kinsella.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • During one scene, Scherrman appears for a few seconds as the catcher in a game interrupted by Timothy Busfield, the disbelieving brother-in-law of Kevin Costner’s character Ray Kinsella.
    — Dave Campbell, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of disbelieving
Adjective
  • Dubbed 'Flash Charging,' this allows the Atto 8’s massive 115-kilowatt-hour battery to rocket from a 10% charge up to 70% capacity in an almost unbelievable five minutes.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
  • What Zoe [Kazan] has done with Steinbeck’s East of Eden is just unbelievable.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of unbelievable

Browse Nearby Words

incredulity
incredulous
incredulously
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Cite this Entry

“Incredulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incredulous. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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