different between harmless vs credulous

English

Etymology

From Middle English harmles, from Old English *hearml?as, from Proto-Germanic *harmalausaz (“without harm; harmless”), equivalent to harm +? -less.

Cognate with German harmlos (“harmless”), Danish harmløs (“harlmess”), Swedish harmlös (“harmless”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?h??ml?s/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?h??ml?s/

Adjective

harmless (comparative more harmless, superlative most harmless)

1. Incapable of causing harm or danger; safe.
2. Not intended to harm; inoffensive.
3. (obsolete) Unharmed.

Synonyms

• benign
• innocent
• innocuous
• undamaging

Antonyms

• harmful

Derived terms

• harmlessly
• harmlessness

Translations

English

Etymology

Originated in 1576, borrowed from Latin cr?dulus (“that easily believes a thing, credulous”), from cr?d? (“to believe”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k??d??l?s/, /k??dj?l?s/

Adjective

credulous (comparative more credulous, superlative most credulous)

1. Excessively ready to believe things; gullible.
   • 1934 George Orwell, Burmese Days:

     "The doctor was a small, black, plump man with fuzzy hair and round, credulous eyes."

2. (obsolete) Believed too readily.

Synonyms

• naive, unworldly
• See also: Thesaurus:gullible

Antonyms

• incredulous
• noncredulous

Derived terms

• credulously
• credulousness

Related terms

Translations

References

• credulous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913. (etymology)