credophile means one who gets positive pleasure from belief and pain from doubt; one who collects beliefs not for utility but for glitter and for whom, once he or she has embraced a belief, it takes something more than mere disproof to make to let go. It carries an Arena rating of 1558, earned across 15 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, credophile ranks #562 of 12,586 for Funniest Words, #1,810 of 12,566 for Most Satisfying to Say, #2,281 of 12,358 for The Improbable, #4,651 of 12,566 for Most Beautiful Words.
credophile is pronounced /ˈkɹɛd.ə.faɪl/.
Why “credophile” is a great word
A person who derives pleasure from holding beliefs and pain from doubt, often collecting them for their appeal rather than their utility. Coined by L. Sprague de Camp from Latin credo ("I believe") and -phile ("lover, enthusiast"), first attested in 1952. Unlike a skeptic, who finds satisfaction in dismantling certainties, or someone merely credulous, who passively accepts them, the credophile actively curates their convictions, deriving an aesthetic or emotional satisfaction from their collection. It is the warm, almost physical comfort of a cherished doctrine held close against the chill of ambiguity, the polished gleam of a cherished dogma on a mental shelf, and the quiet dread that accompanies a crack in its facade—the soul’s preference for a beautiful, untenable fortress over the cold, open field of not-knowing.
Etymology
Coined by L. Sprague de Camp from Latin credo (“to believe”) + -phile (“liker, lover”).
First known use is in a personal letter from de Camp to James Randi (which is thought to still exist in Randi's archives but is not readily available for study).
The word "credophile" and the adjective form "credophilic" were used by L. Sprague de Camp at least as early as 1952 in "Lands Beyond" which he co-authored with Willie Ley (De Camp, L. Sprague & Willie Ley. Lands Beyond. NY: Rinehart, 1952, pp. 268, 272
noun
- One who gets positive pleasure from belief and pain from doubt; one who collects beliefs not for utility but for glitter and for whom, once he or she has embraced a belief, it takes something more than mere disproof to make to let go.
- One who is especially gullible.“The mere advent of the Spiritual Science Chair seemed to have been received as a beacon of opportunity for all manner of credophiles, so I guessed, rightly, that Miriam would come a-running if I dangled the prospect of an alternative analysis of the efficacy of homeopathic remedies.”