susceptibility
Americannoun
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state or character of being susceptible.
susceptibility to disease.
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capacity for receiving mental or moral impressions; tendency to be emotionally affected.
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susceptibilities, capacities for emotion; feelings.
His susceptibilities are easily wounded.
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Electricity.
noun
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the quality or condition of being susceptible
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the ability or tendency to be impressed by emotional feelings; sensitivity
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(plural) emotional sensibilities; feelings
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physics
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Also called: electric susceptibility. Χ. (of a dielectric) the amount by which the relative permittivity differs from unity
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Κ. Also called: magnetic susceptibility. (of a magnetic medium) the amount by which the relative permeability differs from unity
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Synonym Usage
See sensibility.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of susceptibility
First recorded in 1635–45; from Medieval Latin susceptibilitās, equivalent to susceptibilis(is) susceptible + -itās- -ity
Explanation
Susceptibility is a tendency to be affected by something. Some people have a greater susceptibility to colds than others. A susceptibility is a type of weakness, but a particular kind. If your knee keeps getting injured, you may have a susceptibility to knee problems. If alcoholism runs in your family, you probably have a susceptibility to being an alcoholic yourself. Some people have a susceptibility to spending a lot of money or eating too much. When you have a susceptibility, there's something you can't resist or can't fight off.
Vocabulary lists containing susceptibility
This Week in Words: April 7- 13, 2018
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The Awakening
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"A Vindication of the Rights of Woman," Vocabulary from the political argument
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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.
The California Deep Landslide Susceptibility and Landslide Inventory includes a map of the state that marks areas of landslide susceptibility in dark red.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2024
Susceptibility might come from a perceived grievance — something they believe is unfair in their life — coupled with past trauma, like being bullied, he said.
From Washington Post • Apr. 3, 2021
Susceptibility to pneumonia is just one of the conditions that will be a lifelong problem for Babb, his mother said.
From Washington Times • May 12, 2017
Susceptibility to cancer is simply the price we pay for being a complex and highly cooperative cellular society.
From Slate • Apr. 20, 2017
Susceptibility to sun-scald and to San Jose scale are some other weaknesses.
From Northern Nut Growers Report of the Proceedings at the Twenty-First Annual Meeting Cedar Rapids, Iowa, September 17, 18, and 19, 1930 by Northern Nut Growers Association
Definitions 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.
