Credulone vs. ingenuo
The Italian words 'credulone' and 'ingenuo' both describe people who are easily deceived, but they have subtle differences in usage and connotation.
Credulone
'Credulone' refers to someone who is overly credulous, readily believing anything they're told without questioning or verifying the information.
Mio zio è un credulone, crede a tutte le teorie del complotto che legge online.
(My uncle is gullible, he believes all the conspiracy theories he reads online.)
Non essere un credulone, verifica sempre le fonti prima di condividere notizie.
(Don't be gullible, always verify sources before sharing news.)
Ingenuo
'Ingenuo' describes someone who is naive or innocent, often due to lack of experience or worldly knowledge, rather than a tendency to believe everything.
Maria è molto ingenua, non si rende conto che il suo collega sta approfittando della sua gentilezza.
(Maria is very naive, she doesn't realize her colleague is taking advantage of her kindness.)
Da giovane ero ingenuo e pensavo che tutti fossero onesti.
(When I was young, I was naive and thought everyone was honest.)
Summary
While both 'credulone' and 'ingenuo' describe people who can be easily fooled, 'credulone' focuses more on a person's tendency to believe things without question, while 'ingenuo' emphasizes a person's lack of experience or awareness that can lead to being deceived. 'Credulone' is often used in more critical contexts, while 'ingenuo' can sometimes carry a sense of innocence or purity.