English Reference
Word adjective

gullible

adj.
US /ˈɡəɫəbəɫ/ UK /ɡˈʌləbəl/ gullible
Definition
  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    you use this to describe someone who trusts people too much and is easily tricked.

    easily deceived or duped due to a lack of critical judgment or excessive trust.

    Simple

    “The salesman targeted gullible tourists who didn't know the real prices.”

    In context

    “Social media platforms are often criticized for allowing misinformation to spread among gullible users who fail to verify the sources of sensational headlines.”

    Pitfall
    He is very gullible to believe that story. He is gullible enough to believe that story.

    While 'gullible' describes the person, it is more idiomatic to use 'enough to' or 'to be gullible' rather than 'gullible to [verb]' directly.

    Synonyms
    naivetrustingcredulous
    Antonyms
    cynicalskepticalsuspicious
Etymology

Origin uncertain. Either from gull (“to dupe, trick, fool”) + -ible; or alternatively from Middle English gole, goll, gol (“an unfledged bird, silly fellow”), perhaps from Old Norse gulr (“yellow, pale”), from the hue of its down.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin non gulr
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated