incredulous
adjective
in·cred·u·lous
(ˌ)in-ˈkre-jə-ləs 
-dyə-ləs
2
: expressing incredulity
an incredulous stare
incredulously
adverb
Can incredulous mean 'incredible'?: Usage Guide
Sense 3 was revived in the 20th century after a couple of centuries of disuse. Although it is a sense with good literary precedent—among others Shakespeare used it—it is widely regarded as an error resulting from confusion with incredible, and its occurrence in published writing is rare.
Synonyms
Examples of incredulous in a Sentence
"Afraid not." I made an expression to show that I was as incredulous about this as he was.
—
Bill Bryson, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, 1999
A tweed-encased fogey, he's allergic to technology, persnickety about language, and incredulous that anyone could object to his incessant smoking.
—John Powers, Vogue, March 1998
He was greeted with incredulous laughter.
—Robert M. Hutchins, Center Magazine, September 1968
… no obstacle, no incredulous or unsafe circumstance …
—William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, 1602
She listened to his explanation with an incredulous smile.
He was incredulous at the news.
Many people were incredulous that such a small fire could have caused so much damage.
Bill Bryson, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, 1999
A tweed-encased fogey, he's allergic to technology, persnickety about language, and incredulous that anyone could object to his incessant smoking.
—John Powers, Vogue, March 1998
He was greeted with incredulous laughter.
—Robert M. Hutchins, Center Magazine, September 1968
… no obstacle, no incredulous or unsafe circumstance …
—William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, 1602
She listened to his explanation with an incredulous smile.
He was incredulous at the news.
Many people were incredulous that such a small fire could have caused so much damage.
Recent Examples on the Web
The New Orleans rapper was shirtless in both photos, sporting an incredulous expression in the first and an angry scowl in the second.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 11 Sep. 2024
Many of the letter writers were incredulous, insisting that tips were actually tax-free gifts.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
While accepting his award for his performance as Deputy Witt Farr, Morris was incredulous at his major milestone.
—Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
O’Connell’s reaction to his team’s Week 3 victory over the Houston Texans was quite incredulous.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for incredulous 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 11 Sep. 2024
Many of the letter writers were incredulous, insisting that tips were actually tax-free gifts.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
While accepting his award for his performance as Deputy Witt Farr, Morris was incredulous at his major milestone.
—Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
O’Connell’s reaction to his team’s Week 3 victory over the Houston Texans was quite incredulous.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for incredulous
Dictionary Entries Near incredulous
Cite this Entry
“Incredulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incredulous. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incredulous
adjective
in·cred·u·lous
(ˈ)in-ˈkrej-ə-ləs
: feeling or showing an inability to believe something : skeptical
listened with an incredulous smile
incredulously
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share