# gullible

Pronunciation: say "GUL-i-buhl" /ˈɡʌlɪbl̩/

## Adjective

1. So naive that one is easily deceived, fooled, or cheated.
   - Simple: Believing things too easily, so that people can trick you.
   - _Scammers target gullible investors with promises of quick, guaranteed profits._
   - _I was gullible enough to believe the email really came from my bank._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A person who is easily fooled or tricked.

## Origin

Its origin is uncertain. One idea is gull ("to dupe, trick, fool") plus -ible. Another links it to Middle English gole (also goll, gol), which meant "an unfledged bird, silly fellow" and is perhaps from Old Norse gulr ("yellow, pale"), after the color of a young bird's down.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/gullible (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).