Incredulitas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A state of disbelief or skepticism, often pertaining to the refusal to accept certain information as true
2. A quality of being unwilling to believe something, especially when faced with extraordinary claims
3. The condition of feeling doubt or mistrust towards statements, events, or concepts presented as facts

Etymology: Incredulitas is a Latin noun built from "in-", meaning "not," and "credulitas," the quality of being credulous, which comes from "credulus," "believing readily," from the verb "credere," "to believe." So the word literally means "not-believingness," and the Latin prefix does the same work as the "in-" in "incredible." Latin writers used it to describe a refusal to accept what others take for granted, a stance that was often treated as a fault or a mark of stubbornness. The word passed into English as a borrowing from Latin, where it has been used since classical times and remains recognizable in its English descendant, "incredulity." The English form keeps the same meaning: a reluctance to accept a claim, whether because the evidence seems weak or because the claim seems too good, or too strange, to be true.

Synonyms: disbelief, skepticism, doubt, mistrust, uncertainty

Antonyms: belief, faith, trust, credulity, confidence