Credulity is a tendency to believe things too readily, often without sufficient evidence. It describes a disposition to trust information or claims without skepticism, sometimes leading to gullibility. The term often appears in discussions of critical thinking, skepticism, and misinformation, highlighting a susceptibility to accepting statements at face value.
"Her credulity led her to invest in the dubious scheme after reading a glowing testimonial."
"We must guard against credulity when browsing the internet for health advice."
"The detective warned that increasing credulity among readers could fuel rumors."
"His credulity was punctured once the inconsistent details of the story emerged."
Credulity comes from the Latin credulus, meaning 'tending to believe,' itself from credere, 'to believe.' The noun form credulitas appeared in Latin texts to denote a state of trusting easily. In late Latin it was credulitas, which transitioned into Middle French credulité, then into English as credulity by the 15th–16th centuries. The core idea centers on belief or trust, initially without diagnostic evidence. Over time, credulity acquired a pejorative nuance in moral and epistemic discussions, distinguishing between healthy trust and uncritical gullibility. By the Renaissance and Enlightenment, credulity became a focal term in debates about skepticism and empirical reasoning, often contrasted with doubt and inquiry. In modern usage, credulity retains its sense of susceptibility to unverified claims, especially in contexts of misinformation, propaganda, or sensational anecdotes. While the word remains largely abstract, it is frequently paired with verbs like exploit, prey, or test, reinforcing the warning that credulity can be a vulnerability rather than a virtue in critical discourse.
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Words that rhyme with "Credulity"
-ity sounds
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Pronounce as krih-DYOO-luh-tee in US and UK variants. The main stress falls on the second syllable: /kriˈdjuː.lə.ti/ (UK: /ˈkrɛ.djuː.lɪ.ti/ is less common). Start with /k/ plus /ri/ quickly, then a clear secondary syllable /ˈdjuː/ before the unstressed /lə/ and final /ti/. Tip: think ‘cred’ + ‘you’ + ‘luh’ + ‘tee.’ Audio resources: youglish/pronounce resources can provide native samples.
Common errors include misplacing stress, pronouncing ‘-dju-’ as /dɪ/ (saying kri-DED-uh-luh-tee) or flattening the /juː/ into /ju/ as in 'you' only. Another mistake is dropping the final /ti/ or turning it into /tiː/ too long. Correction tips: keep the /juː/ as a single syllable with a slight y- onset, maintain the second syllable stress on /djuː/, and ensure the final schwa is reduced to a light 'uh' before the final /ti/.
US: /kriˈdjuː.lə.ti/ with a rhotic r and clear /juː/. UK: /ˈkred.juː.lɪ.ti/ tends to reduce the first vowel slightly and places stress on the first syllable for some speakers; non-rhotic variants may make /r/ less prominent. AU: /ˌkred.juːˈlɪ.ti/ shows more vowel centralization and a shorter final syllable; the /j/ is palatalized after /d/. Overall, /djuː/ remains stable, but vowel quality and syllable timing shift subtly by region.
The difficulty lies in the sequence /djuː/ after the /r/ blend, which blends the consonant cluster with a long vowel. Many speakers default to /dju/ as two separate parts or substitute /dj/ with /dʒ/ or /j/ only. Additionally, the three-syllable rhythm with a mid- word stress can trip learners who expect simpler words of similar length. Focus on a tight /djuː/ cluster and clear, unstressed endings to master it.
A unique aspect is the intersyllabic transition into the final two syllables: the /lə/ is a lax, quick schwa that should not be reduced into a full vowel, and the final /ti/ should be crisp but not clipped. Ensure you don’t produce /lɪ/ or /li/ in place of /lə/; the light schwa is key for natural rhythm. Practice saying kri-DOO-luh-tee with a soft, barely audible middle syllable.
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