Incredulity is the state of being unwilling or unable to believe something; a feeling of skepticism or disbelief. The noun denotes a reaction or attitude of incredulous astonishment, often accompanied by a raised eyebrow or widened eyes. In everyday use, it can describe genuine doubt or feigned amazement, depending on context and tone.
"Her incredulity was clear when she heard the implausible excuse."
"The crowd shook with incredulity at the magician's final illusion."
"Despite the data, his incredulity lingered until the experiment produced consistent results."
"She uttered the word with incredulity, then laughed at how unbelievable it sounded."
Incredulity comes from Latin incredulitas, from incredulus meaning ‘unable to believe, incredible,’ formed from in- (not) + credere (to believe). The root credere yields words like credit, credence, and incredible. The English noun incredulity emerged in the 14th–15th centuries through Middle English in-crudulite or incredulite, influenced by Old French incredulite and Latin incredulitas. Over time, the prefix in- shifted from a simple negation to a stronger sense of refusal or astonished doubt. By the 16th century, incredulity carried nuance beyond mere doubt, often highlighting surprise or astonishment in response to extraordinary claims. The word’s pronunciation stabilized in modern English with the stress on the second syllable: in-CRE-dul-i-ty, though some speakers tilt toward a three-syllable rhythm (in-kru-DYU-li-tee) in rapid speech. The concept itself traces a long line of skepticism in rhetoric and literature, from classical dialogues to contemporary journalism, as a formal term denoting a cognitive stance rather than a transient feeling. First known use appears in early modern English texts, aligning with the expansion of English lexical borrowing from Latin via French, which increased the precision of abstract nouns like incredulity to express nuanced states of belief and doubt.
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Words that rhyme with "Incredulity"
-ity sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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IPA: ɪnˌkrɛdjuˈlɪti. Place within-syllable rhythm: in- (unstressed), cre- (secondary stress on CRE), -du- as a glide, -li- with light stress, -ty ending as typically a schwa-final or /i/. Start with a light, quick initial with a brief pause before the stressed CRE, then glide into DU-li-ty with the final -ty crisply enunciated. Tip: emphasize the second syllable cluster CRE, keep the /ju/ as a single glide in 2–3 sounds. Audio reference: use reputable dictionaries or Pronounce as a guide to hear the exact sequence.
Two common errors: (1) Misplacing stress by over-emphasizing the first syllable; keep the primary stress on CRE. (2) Treating the -du- as a separate consonant cluster instead of a /dju/ diphthong; pronounce it as /ˈdʒuː/ or /dju/ depending on the speaker, smoothing from /r/ to /dju/ without a break. Correct by practicing in-CRĒ-dyu-lĭ-ty with a brief /j/ onset before the /u/ vowel, ensuring the final -ty is lightly pronounced.
US: /ɪnˌkrɛdjuˈlɪti/ with a clear rhotic /r/ and a tighter /ˈlɪ/ near the end. UK: /ɪnˌkrɛdjuˈlɪəti/ or /-lɪti/ with a shorter vowel before the ending, less rhoticity in some regions. AU: /ɪnˌkrɛdjuˈlɪti/ similar to US but with slightly broader vowel quality and more non-rhotic tendencies in some speakers; ensure the /ju/ is produced as a smooth /dju/ sequence rather than a hard /j/ sound. Consistent glide from /d/ to /ju/ is key across all.
The difficulty lies in the /dju/ cluster after a stressed consonant and the multisyllabic rhythm: in-CRE-dju-LI-ty. Many learners misplace the primary stress or split the /dju/ into /d/ and /ju/ with a gap. The final -ty can reduce to /ti/ or /ti/ with a soft vowel in rapid speech. Emphasis on the mid syllable CRE, plus maintaining a smooth transition from /r/ to /dju/ while keeping the final syllable crisp helps avoid common mispronunciations.
No, there are no silent letters in the standard pronunciation of incredulity. Every letter contributes to the sound: i-n-c-r-e-d-u-l-i-t-y. Some speakers may lightly reduce vowels in fast speech (e.g., /ɪnˌkrɛdjuˈlɪti/ reduced to /ɪnˌkrɛdjuˈlɪtə/), but the underlying phonemes remain spoken. Focus on keeping every segment audible, especially the central /r/ and the /ju/ glide, to avoid weakening the word.
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