susceptible

[suh-sep-tuh-buhl]

adjective

1. admitting or capable of some specified treatment.

   susceptible of a high polish; susceptible to various interpretations.

2. accessible or especially liable or subject to some influence, mood, agency, etc..

   susceptible to colds; susceptible to flattery.

3. capable of being affected emotionally; impressionable.

susceptible

/ səˈsɛptəbəl /

adjective

1. (postpositive; foll by of or to) yielding readily (to); capable (of)

   hypotheses susceptible of refutation

   susceptible to control

2. liable to be afflicted (by)

   susceptible to colds

3. easily impressed emotionally

Other Word Forms

• susceptibleness noun
• susceptibly adverb
• nonsusceptible adjective
• nonsusceptibleness noun
• nonsusceptibly adverb
• oversusceptible adjective
• oversusceptibleness noun
• oversusceptibly adverb
• presusceptible adjective
• unsusceptible adjective
• unsusceptibleness noun
• unsusceptibly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of susceptible¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Late Latin susceptibilis, from suscept(us) “taken up” (past participle of suscipere “to take up, support,” from sus- sus- + -cipere, combining form of capere “to take”) + -ibilis -ible

Word History and Origins

Origin of susceptible¹

C17: from Late Latin susceptibilis, from Latin suscipere to take up, from _sub- + capere to take

Example Sentences

The loss of the programs will make children at the camp more susceptible to radicalization, she added.

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Infections, hormonal shifts and even gut microbes can trigger disease in susceptible people.

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The rushed process and departure from standard Justice Department protocol has made the cases more susceptible to errors, former prosecutors said.

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The fact that a small group of consumers is driving growth leaves the economy more susceptible to a downturn.

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Despite being a very experienced group, they're still susceptible to losing games like rookies.

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Related Words

• affected 
• easy 
• impressionable 
• inclined 
• liable 
• prone 
• ready 
• receptive 
• responsive 
• sensitive 
• vulnerable 
• wide open