[Late ME. a. F. credulité (12th c. in Littré), or immed. ad. L. crēdulitās, n. of quality f. crēdulus CREDULOUS: see -ITY.]
† 1. Belief, faith, credence; the quality of being a believer; readiness to believe. Obs.
1430–50. trans. Higden (Rolls), I. 19. To ȝiffe feithe and credulite to the dictes of those men.
1532. More, Confut. Tindale, Wks. 579/1. The spirite of God … woorketh in man the credulitie and belief by which we … belieue the church.
a. 1633. Austin, Medit. (1635), 176. Thomas his Absence and Incredulitie hath bred more faith in us, then the credulitie of them all.
1639. trans. Du Bosq’s Compl. Woman, II. 64. The steddiest in their credulity, may have some doubts.
1794. R. J. Sulivan, View Nat., II. 214. We see, what motion the Scripture gives to the sun … according to the appearance of sense and of popular credulity.
2. Over-readiness to believe; disposition to believe on weak or insufficient grounds.
This sense in early instances is only contextual, and was not implicitly present before the close of the 17th c.
1547. J. Harrison, Exhort. Scottes, 229. A … bayte, alluryng our simplicitie and credulitie.
1605. Bp. Hall, Medit. & Vows, I. § 82. I had rather wrong my selfe by credulity, then others by unjust censures and suspitions.
1630. R. Johnson’s Kingd. & Commw., 188. By his credulity to any tale that is told.
1665. Glanvill, Sceps. Sci., xiii. 76–7. An ungrounded credulity is cry’d up for faith.
1734. trans. Rollin’s Anc. Hist. (1827), I. 49. His ridiculous credulity in dreams, signs and prodigies.
1754. Richardson, Grandison, IV. xviii. 142. Credulity the child of goodnature.
1866. Dickens, Lett., II. 260. A humbug, living on the credulity of the people.
b. (with pl.) An instance of credulity.
1836. Lytton, Athens (1837), II. 401. His very credulities have a philosophy of their own.
a. 1850. Rossetti, Dante & Circle, II. (1874), 266. The native home of all credulities and monstrosities.
