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
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Catch-22
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"A Village After Dark" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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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.
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
"The problem is when impressionable 18-year-olds see people bone smashing and extreme looksmaxxing, it definitely does have a negative effect on their perception of what they should look like."
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026
At the wake, family members tried to soften the blow for the impressionable young girl.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2025
TikTok is a much bigger service that reaches a lot more impressionable people, and there’s nothing.
From Slate • Nov. 6, 2025
"A child, on the other hand, stays impressionable and eager to learn. Catch one young enough,” Dad insisted, "and there’s no limit to what you can teach.”
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
