Crossword Genius

Crude soul, terribly naive (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

credulous

'naive' is the definition.
(associated in meaning)

'crude soul terribly' is the wordplay.
'terribly' indicates anagramming the letters.
'crude'+'soul'='crudesoul'
'crudesoul' anagrammed gives 'CREDULOUS'.

(Other definitions for credulous that I've seen before include "Easily fooled" , "Too ready to believe things" , "Apt to believe without sufficient evidence" , "Gullible" , "Likely to believe" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app