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gullible

gullible

65 4.2
Easily persuaded to believe things that are not true
  • adjective
  • /ˈɡʌlɪbəl/
translation icon : crédulo
  • Some people are so gullible that they believe every story they hear.
  • so gullible
  • even more gullible
  • stupid and gullible

Call me stupid, call me gullible, but I believe this dumb ass.

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Examples

  • But, but even the people who are not that gullible, our first instinct is to trust.

  • How could we have been so gullible?

  • So I think for the most part, we're not gullible so much as the trust thing works pretty well most of the time.

  • Do you think that people just, like, really gullible, like people as a whole, do you think we're too gullible as a species?

  • It's your own fault, for being so gullible.

  • You were always very gullible.

  • See, I'm the most gullible guy in Chicago.

  • The early European travelers were, by our standards, gullible about the rest of the world.

    Academic text (1995)
  • No, what you're saying is you can be a little less gullible by being a little less trusting.

  • Everybody is so gullible.

Synonyms

naive
vsgullible
312 4.1

Not experienced and too ready to trust others

is about being easily deceived because of trusting, not only innocence
green
vsgullible
99 5.8

Inexperienced and easily tricked

is trusting due to faith in others rather than just inexperience
easy
vsgullible
  • Informal
76 8.1

A person others can easily trick

is trusting and therefore deceived rather than simply defenseless
impressionable
vsgullible
31 5.4

A person who is easily influenced by other people's ideas, especially when young

is about being deceived through trusting rather than general influence
trusting
vsgullible
12 2.1

Willing to believe people are honest

is prone to being deceived and focuses more on resulting harm than warmth
credulous
vsgullible
7 8.3

A person who believes what others say too easily and falls for tricks

is similarly trusting but focuses on being deceived rather than evidence
unwary
vsgullible
6 6.1

A person who is not careful about danger and is easily tricked

is trusting by nature rather than merely lacking caution
trustful
vsgullible
2 3.2

A person who is ready to believe what other people tell them

is trusting in a way that commonly leads to being tricked
credent
vsgullible
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Quick to believe things without much proof

is about trusting others and becoming deceived rather than mere acceptance
overcredulous
vsgullible
9.9

A person who believes things too easily

is easily led to believe because of faith in others rather than extreme eagerness
fleeceable
vsgullible
  • Informal
9.8

A person others can easily trick into giving money or things

is about general trusting that leads to deception rather than financial fraud
unskeptical
vsgullible
7.9

Ready to believe things and not likely to doubt them

is trusting in a way that makes one vulnerable to deception
persuasible
vsgullible
7.8

Open to changing your mind when given good reasons

is about being convinced through trust rather than by argument alone
convincible
vsgullible
6.5

Likely to accept clear arguments or evidence

is persuaded because of naive trust rather than reasoned evidence

Antonyms

208 6.5

Not trusting people to have good intentions and expecting them to act for themselves

1 4.7

Not accepting that something is true, often showing doubt

How Gullible

gullible
65 4.2
naive
312 4.1
unsuspecting
53 4.2
trusting
12 2.1

Surface Forms

gullible positive

Morphology

gullible = gull (transparent) = gull + ible

The adjective is formed from the verb 'gull' with the adjectival suffix '-ible', giving the clear meaning 'able to be gull(ed)' or 'easily deceived'.

Etymology

Gullible comes from the verb gull, which means 'to fool', plus the ending -ible meaning 'able to be'. So gullible means 'able to be fooled' or easy to trick, and a helpful way to remember it is to imagine a hungry gull, the bird, taking easy bait.