suggestible

American  

[suhg-jes-tuh-buhl, suh-] / səgˈdʒɛs tə bəl, sə- /

adjective

1. subject to or easily influenced by suggestion.

2. that may be suggested.

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suggestible British  

/ səˈdʒɛstɪbəl /

adjective

1. easily influenced by ideas provided by other persons

2. characteristic of something that can be suggested

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Other Word Forms

• hypersuggestibility noun
• hypersuggestible adjective
• hypersuggestibleness noun
• hypersuggestibly adverb
• nonsuggestible adjective
• suggestibility noun
• suggestibleness noun
• suggestibly adverb
• unsuggestible adjective

Etymology

Origin of suggestible

First recorded in 1885–90; suggest + -ible

Explanation

Someone who's suggestible has an opinion that's easily swayed. If you mention to your suggestible uncle that it might be fun to get ice cream, he'll probably drive you to the ice cream shop. It's easy to convince a suggestible person to do something, believe something, or to change their mind about something. Suggestible voters are easily swayed by emotional political ads on TV, and if you're very suggestible, your brother talking about his migraine can convince you that you might have migraines too.

Example Sentences

Experts say the injury has badly affected his memory and general ability to process more than basic information, leaving him suggestible and vulnerable to potential manipulation.

From BBC • Sep. 11, 2024

Dating apps weren't around in 1981, but if they were, it would be suggestible for Gino to get on one, pronto.

From Salon • Nov. 3, 2022

Teammates are suggestible to one another in far subtler ways than they realize.

From New York Times • Jan. 21, 2022

The eye can make the ear surprisingly suggestible.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2021

The wizard had made her suggestible, she knew this.

From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu