Credible, Creditable, Credulous | IELTS Vocabulary
Your IELTS score will improve if you can use a wide range of vocabulary. Some commonly confused words are discussed in this lesson.
Credible, creditable and credulous
These words are often confused.
If something is credible, it is believable.
- Your story isn’t credible.
Incredible is the opposite of credible.
Creditable
Creditable means praiseworthy.
- His grades are creditable.
- The kids managed to deliver a creditable performance.
Credulous means gullible. Incredulous is its opposite.
Credulous people believe everything that you tell them. Consequently, it is easy to cheat them.
Fill in the blanks.
1. The plumber did a …………………………. job in fixing the leakage in under 10 minutes. (credible / creditable / credulous)
2. Don’t be so ……………………….. (credible / creditable / credulous)
3. His narrative sounded ………………………. to me. (credible / creditable / credulous)
4. That was an ………………………. display of courage. (credible / incredible / credulous / incredulous)
Answers
1. creditable, 2. credulous, 3. credible; 4. incredible
Critic, critical and critique
A critic is an analyst, a judge or a reviewer.
For example, a film critic reviews films and rates them as good or bad
- I do read novels but I am no critic of fiction.
A critic can also be an antagonist, a fault finder or a criticizer
- The minister answered his critics during the press conference.
- His latest movie was panned by critics.
Critical
If you are critical of somebody you make disparaging remarks about them.
- Don’t be so critical of him.
- My parents were always critical of me.
Your critical abilities are your analytical abilities.
- It took him several years to develop his critical abilities.
Critical can also mean grave, serious, dangerous, urgent or risky.
- His condition is critical.
Criticize
To criticize somebody is to find fault with them.
- They always criticized him for being overly ambitious.
Critique
A critique is a critical commentary or a review.
- The students were told to write a critique of Crime and Punishment.
