gullible

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 30, 2011 is: gullible • \GULL-uh-bul\ • adjective : easily duped or cheated Examples: Carl's sister couldn't believe that he was gullible enough to fall for yet another urban legend. "Tattooed carnies urged gullible visitors to try their luck at the ring toss and water gun race. Shrieking men, women, and children rode the Tilt-a-Whirl, the Matterhorn, and bumper cars." -- From Greg Cox's 2011 novel Warehouse 13: A Touch of Fever Did you know? A recent commenter on our Web site asked, "Is gullibility a word"? Yes, it's entered as a run-on at our entry for "gullible," along with "gullibly." All three of these words descend from the verb "gull," meaning "to deceive or take advantage of." The verb "gull" was borrowed into English from Anglo-French in the mid-16th century. Another relative is the noun "gull," referring to a person who is easy to cheat -- no relation to the familiar word for a sea bird, which is of Celtic origin. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.