It’s good to exercise some healthy doubt in your daily life. But how can you go about expressing this at work or elsewhere?
In this article, we’ll show you another way to say “hard to believe” with a list of 18 synonyms.
Other Ways to Say “Hard to Believe”
- Far fetched
- Unlikely
- Questionable
- Unbelievable
- Dubious
- Debatable
- Controversial
- Arguable
- Suspicious
- Unrealistic
- Unconvincing
- Implausible
- Improbable
- Ridiculous
- Impossible
- Rings phony
- Fishy
- Doubtful
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- “Hard to believe” is a correct phrase that you can use in both formal and informal situations.
- If you want to employ a more serious tone, you can replace “hard to believe” with the formal synonym, “far-fetched.”
- In a more casual setting, you can use the word “unlikely.”
Keep reading to see how we’ve used our top synonyms for “hard to believe” in some helpful examples.
Thereafter, we’ll consider the correctness of the phrase “hard to believe” and discuss when you can use it.
Far-Fetched (Formal)
“Far-fetched” is essentially a more fancy way to say “hard to believe” when you’re in a formal setting.
Therefore, you can use this phrase in your writing or when you want to suggest that you find something “hard to believe” more politely.
This phrase originates from the late 1500s. Many sources state that British sailors would return home from their travels, bringing with them exaggerated stories alongside other artifacts.
This formal synonym is not a better phrase to use than “hard to believe” in general. However, the original phrase has a more plain and neutral tone.
“Far-fetched,” on the other hand, has a more formal ring to it.
Consider this example to see what we mean:
I must admit, I found his story rather far-fetched.
You can certainly use “far-fetched” in a professional setting to indicate that you doubt the truth of something.
In fact, this phrase is suitable even for an email to a client or a superior.
Check out how we’ve used it in the email example below:
Dear Moira,
The client provided a rather far-fetched account of how the incident occurred, but I have managed to obtain footage of the street from a local store.
Sincerely,
Jennifer
Unlikely (Informal)
Another word for “hard to believe” is “unlikely.”
This is a far plainer and more casualsynonym. However, it’s not too informal to use in a professional setting.
Once again, this alternative is not a better phrase than “hard to believe.” However, as it is just one word, it will make your emails more succinct.
For instance, let’s look at how to say “hard to believe” professionally using this synonym:
Dear Benjamin,
In my opinion, it is unlikely that the numbers provided by their agency are true.
Kind regards,
Liza
“Unlikely” also comes across as a tad more objective than the original phrase.
After all, “hard to believe” implies that you personally doubt the likelihood of something. Meanwhile, saying something is “unlikely” suggests that it is objectively not likely to be factual.
Therefore, it would be best to use this phrase if you think your doubts are based on fact rather than on your opinion alone.
Let’s see another example:
It seems unlikely that the event will go on as planned.
Is It Correct to Say “Hard to Believe”?
It’s perfectly correct to say that something is “hard to believe.”
In fact, this phrase uses very normal phrasing. This makes it suitable for both formal and informal circumstances.
Therefore, it would be appropriate to use this phrase in a professional setting, including in your work correspondence with clients or fellow professionals in your industry.
You will also see it used in more casual conversations between colleagues.
It never hurts to mix up your phrasing to avoid repetition in your emails.
However, if you want to use the original phrase instead of one of the synonyms from our list, here are a few ways you can use it in practice:
- It is hard to believe
- I find it hard to believe
- It may seem hard to believe
You can also use “not” or “very” in front of the phrase to better emphasize your point:
- Not hard to believe
- Very hard to believe
If you think our list of synonyms for the phrase “hard to believe” might be of use to you in the future, feel free to bookmark this page!