Word: credulous (adjective)

Associations

"Credulous" means someone who is too ready to believe things, often without enough proof. It describes a person who easily trusts others or accepts ideas quickly.

• Example 1: "The credulous child believed every story the magician told." Here, it shows the child trusts too easily.
• Example 2: "Credulous investors might fall for scams because they don't check facts carefully." This means investors believe too quickly.
• Example 3: "She was so credulous that she believed the fake news without question." It shows quick belief without doubt.

A well-known synonym is "gullible." Both mean easily fooled or believing, but "credulous" is often used in more formal writing, while "gullible" is common in everyday speech. Also, "credulous" can imply a natural tendency to believe, while "gullible" often implies being tricked.

Substitution

In place of "credulous," you can use:

• gullible (more casual, often negative)
• trusting (more positive, less extreme)
• naive (focuses on lack of experience)
• impressionable (easily influenced)

Each changes the tone: "naive" focuses on innocence, "gullible" on being easily tricked, and "trusting" can be positive or neutral.

Deconstruction

• Root: from Latin "credulus," from "credere" meaning "to believe."
• Prefix: none.
• Suffix: "-ous" means "full of" or "having the quality of." So, "credulous" literally means "full of belief" or "easily believing."

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when being credulous helped or hurt someone?
• How is being credulous different from being careful or skeptical?
• In what situations might it be good or bad to be credulous?