Incredible vs. Incredulous: Unbelievable or Disbelieving?

The Distinction

• Incredible = difficult to believe; extraordinary; amazing
• Incredulous = skeptical; unwilling or unable to believe something

Using Incredible

“Incredible” describes something that’s hard to believe or remarkably good:

• “The view from the summit was incredible.” ✓
• “She told an incredible story about her escape.” ✓
• “The athlete’s incredible speed broke records.” ✓
• “It seems incredible that no one was hurt.” ✓

Using Incredulous

“Incredulous” describes a person’s skeptical reaction:

• “She gave him an incredulous look.” ✓
• “He was incredulous when he heard the news.” ✓
• “The audience remained incredulous throughout the presentation.” ✓
• “With an incredulous tone, she asked, ‘You expect me to believe that?’” ✓

The Key Difference

• Incredible describes the thing that’s hard to believe
• Incredulous describes the person who doesn’t believe it

Memory Trick

• Incredible = the “ible” ending means “able to be” (able to be doubted)
• Incredulous = the “ous” ending describes a person (the person is full of disbelief)

Example in Context

“The incredible claim left the audience incredulous.”

(The unbelievable statement made the listeners skeptical.)