"Credible" = believable, worthy of being believed; "credulous" = too willing to believe things without questioning them.
Adjective: able to be believed, having sufficient evidence or authority to be accepted as true. "A credible witness" = a believable witness. "A credible threat" = a plausible threat. Related to "credibility".
The whistleblower was considered a credible source by multiple independent journalists.
To be credible in a negotiation, you must make promises you can actually keep.
The film presents a credible portrayal of life in a refugee camp.
Adjective: too ready to believe things without enough skepticism. Negative connotation: implies naivety or lack of critical thinking. "A credulous audience" = an audience that accepts everything without questioning. Related to "credulity".
He was so credulous that he bought the "miracle supplement" after reading a single online review.
Credulous investors lost millions to the Ponzi scheme before the fraud was uncovered.
A good critical thinker is skeptical without being cynical, open-minded without being credulous.
Common mistake
Confusing the perspective: CREDIBLE = something or someone that DESERVES to be believed (the subject IS believable). CREDULOUS = someone who believes too easily (the subject IS too trusting). "The news is credible" = the news is believable. "The reader is credulous" = the reader believes everything without questioning. Common error: "The professor was very credulous" when you mean "believable" (should be "credible").
Trick to remember it
CREDIBLE = something that CAN be beLIEved. The suffix "-ible" means "able to" (visible = able to be seen, audible = able to be heard). CREDIBLE = able to be believed. CREDULOUS = the suffix "-ulous" implies excess (like "garrulous" = talks too much, "nebulous" = vaguely excessive). CREDULOUS = believes too much. Remember: cred-IBLE = believABLE (it can be believed). cred-ULOUS = the one who believes everything (they are too ready to believe).
Quick rule
Credible = believable, worthy of trust (the source IS credible). Credulous = too readily believing (the person IS credulous).
Did you know?
Latin has a family of words around "credere" (to believe): credible (can be believed), credulous (believes too much), credit (trust), credence (believability), credential (proof of credibility), creed (belief system). English borrowed many of these from Latin through French. "Incredible" is the opposite of "credible": what cannot be believed. "Incredulous" is the opposite of "credulous": one who does not believe easily.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The conspiracy theory gained traction among _____ people who did not check the original sources.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
Several independent researchers confirmed the findings, making the study's conclusions highly _____.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Credible = believable, worthy of trust (the source IS credible). Credulous = too readily believing (the person IS credulous).
Confusing the perspective: CREDIBLE = something or someone that DESERVES to be believed (the subject IS believable). CREDULOUS = someone who believes too easily (the subject IS too trusting). "The news is credible" = the news is believable. "The reader is credulous" = the reader believes everything without questioning. Common error: "The professor was very credulous" when you mean "believable" (should be "credible").
CREDIBLE = something that CAN be beLIEved. The suffix "-ible" means "able to" (visible = able to be seen, audible = able to be heard). CREDIBLE = able to be believed. CREDULOUS = the suffix "-ulous" implies excess (like "garrulous" = talks too much, "nebulous" = vaguely excessive). CREDULOUS = believes too much. Remember: cred-IBLE = believABLE (it can be believed). cred-ULOUS = the one who believes everything (they are too ready to believe).
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy