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Synonyms

receptive

American  
[ri-sep-tiv] / rɪˈsɛp tɪv /

adjective

  1. having the quality of receiving, taking in, or admitting.

  2. able or quick to receive knowledge, ideas, etc..

    a receptive mind.

  3. willing or inclined to receive suggestions, offers, etc., with favor.

    a receptive listener.

    Synonyms:
    open, responsive, hospitable, amenable
  4. of or relating to reception or receptors

    a receptive end organ.

  5. (in language learning) of or relating to the language skills of listening and reading (productive ).


receptive British  
/ rɪˈsɛptɪv, ˌriːsɛpˈtɪvɪtɪ /

adjective

  1. able to apprehend quickly

  2. tending to receive new ideas or suggestions favourably

  3. able to hold or receive

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonreceptive adjective
  • nonreceptively adverb
  • receptively adverb
  • receptiveness noun
  • receptivity noun
  • unreceptive adjective
  • unreceptively adverb

Etymology

Origin of receptive

From the Medieval Latin word receptīvus, dating back to 1540–50. See reception, -ive

Explanation

To be receptive is to be open to new ideas or change. If you’re responsive to other people’s suggestions and not set in your ways, then you’re not only receptive, but flexible. The adjective receptive actually comes from a Latin word that means receive. So a receptive person is willing to receive things, especially opposing arguments, constructive criticism, and helpful hints. How receptive you are speaks to your willingness to have an impression made upon you. It can be good to be large and in charge sometimes, but you can also benefit from stepping back and being receptive to what life brings.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing receptive

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 second is performed less persuasively, in part because the world is now a coarse place, much less receptive to his civilized ideas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

To Eddings’ surprise, however, Ritchie was receptive, even enthusiastic, as were his supervisors.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

He tried to find a receptive audience for the name.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

“Amidst the rhetoric it’s unclear how receptive Iran is to negotiating at this early stage, with one spokesman for Iran’s military saying that the U.S. was ‘negotiating with itself,’” notes Vertical Research Partners’ Robert Stallard.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

If anyone had a responsible solution to this problem, Jackson claimed to be receptive.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis