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

Relevance

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 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 His incredulous response opens the door to a fight that escalates quickly. — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 12 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
  • The conservative-majority Supreme Court has been skeptical of environmental regulations in the past, including in a 2022 decision limiting the EPA's authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • And while The Atlantic has published largely skeptical coverage of major AI companies and their products’ impact on society, Thompson’s tone, in his podcasts and LinkedIn posts, has been more optimistic.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of skeptical
Adjective
  • Within a few years, Torra was playing in metal bands across Long Island, belting out songs by Skid Row, Cinderella, Ratt, and yes, Quiet Riot, with incredible power and force.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2026
  • There are so many incredible materials for artists here, all for free.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of incredible
Adjective
  • Mongol rule had been deeply humiliating, and Ming leaders grew suspicious of foreign influence.
    — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The move comes as British counter-terrorism police investigate suspicious activity near the Royal Air Force station and amid reports that US commanders received new information about a possible threat involving Iran.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of suspicious
Adjective
  • The political situation in the United States may have made the prospect of an American pope seem even more unlikely.
    — Scott Detrow, NPR, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The Justice Department argued the outlets are unlikely to succeed on their claims and urged Kelly to deny their request for a preliminary injunction.
    — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of unlikely
Adjective
  • Arellano contends that Becerra should project a more forceful, less cautious persona, drawing on the immigrant and working-class experience of Latino families.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Be cautious with financial ventures before taking unnecessary risks.
    — Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of cautious
Adjective
  • The technique has revolutionized neuroscience by opening up the brain's activity to scientists in ways previously impossible.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 5 Oct. 2026
  • These Chargers have 13 games left, and identifying potential wins on the remaining schedule is a nearly impossible task.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 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
  • But while critics deemed the character overly simplistic and an ultimately unbelievable representation of evil (Cathy is an allegory for the serpent in the garden of Eden, after all), Pugh and Kazan, however, took a very different approach.
    — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The barking bunch performed unbelievable tricks in sync with music and choreography, leading to their victory.
    — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of unbelievable

Browse Nearby Words

incredulity
incredulous
incredulously
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Incredulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incredulous. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of galore

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All