Here's a breakdown:
* Incredulous: Expressing or feeling disbelief or doubt.
* Solicitude: Concern or anxiety for someone's welfare.
The combination creates a paradox:
* Skepticism implies a lack of belief or trust.
* Concern implies a sense of care and worry.
This contradiction highlights the speaker's internal conflict:
* They find something difficult to believe, yet they are still bothered by it.
Example:
A doctor might show incredulous solicitude toward a patient's bizarre symptom, saying, "I've never seen anything like this before, but I'm genuinely worried about your health."
Here, the doctor is unconvinced by the symptom's cause, but still feels obligated to address it.
In essence, incredulous solicitude describes a situation where someone is hesitant to believe something, but cannot ignore the potential implications.