impressionable
Americanadjective
-
easily impressed or influenced; susceptible.
an impressionable youngster.
- Synonyms:
- suggestible, responsive, receptive
-
capable of being impressed.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of impressionable
1825–35; impression + -able; compare French impressionnable
Explanation
Someone who is impressionable is easily influenced. An impressionable person can be greatly changed by his or her experiences — not always in a good way. When someone makes an impression on you, you remember them and are influenced by them. Likewise, someone impressionable is very susceptible to being influenced, almost like a sponge that soaks up ideas. This word almost always applies to kids who are often referred to as “young and impressionable." If you call someone impressionable, it usually implies that they could be easily led astray.
Vocabulary lists containing impressionable
"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Catch-22
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"A Village After Dark" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But these narratives tell you nothing more than that Wall Street’s brokers were exposed at impressionable ages to the Goldilocks fairy tale.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
If we can become a kid again — our most honest, impressionable, open-hearted self — in that theater seat, we’ll believe anything is possible.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
“Are you going to go after alumni who have been calling it Memorial Stadium? No. So you didn’t focus on that. You focused on people that could be more impressionable, and it worked.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
TikTok is a much bigger service that reaches a lot more impressionable people, and there’s nothing.
From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2025
“I mean...I gave up on Percy. I was young and impressionable, and I—I don’t...”
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
