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incredulously

incredulously

8 6.8
In a way that shows you do not believe something
  • adverb
  • /ɪnˈkrɛdʒələsli/
translation icon : incredulamente
  • She looked at him incredulously when he claimed to have seen a unicorn.
  • asked incredulously

And they would look at me rather incredulously and say, really, they couldn't quite conceive of the librarians or libraries being interested in data.

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Examples

  • The ambassador said incredulously, "You cannot threaten to destroy a free country, tiny as it is."

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Laura stares at him incredulously, amazed at his ability to get things done.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • And he looked at me incredulously and he was like sure, here you go.

  • "You want me to pretend to be this man Wilson?" asked Tom incredulously.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • "Can you imagine a mother saying in any culture, 'I threw them away'?" the reporter said incredulously.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Can you believe it?" Schlussel looked incredulously at Niemann, who watched him speak but had not heard a word.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • "You don't really think that Father would cut us out of his will?" Valerie said incredulously.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • "And that switch wasn't caught before?" Sawyer looked incredulously over at Lucas.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Brand, his face wet with water from a misty, roaring waterfall, asked incredulously, "Are we still in the desert?"

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Color flooded suddenly into Meguet's face; she stared, incredulously, at Nyx.

    Fiction book (1993)

Synonyms

skeptically
vsincredulously
  • US
8 4.4

Showing doubt that something is true

is more about clear disbelief than mere questioning
disbelievingly
vsincredulously
1 6.1

In a way that shows you do not think something is true

focuses more on doubt or questioning than on simple refusal
unbelievingly
vsincredulously
1 7.2

Shows that someone does not believe something

is more about doubt or questioning than absolute rejection
askance
vsincredulously
9.8

In a way that shows doubt or disapproval, often by looking sideways

is a general way of showing doubt rather than a sideways look

Antonyms

1 7.7

In a way that shows you believe things too easily

In a way that shows you accept something as true

How Certain

credulously
1 7.7
uncertainly
11 4.0
doubtfully
4 3.8
skeptically
  • US
8 4.4
incredulously
8 6.8

Surface Forms

incredulously positive

Morphology

incredulously = incredulous (semi-transparent) = in + credul + ous + ly

Adding '-ly' to the adjective 'incredulous' straightforwardly forms an adverb meaning 'in an incredulous manner'.

Etymology

The word incredulously comes from the Latin parts in- 'not' and credere 'to believe', the same root you see in credit and incredible. So, to act incredulously is to show you 'do not believe' something.