susceptibility

American  

[suh-sep-tuh-bil-i-tee] / səˌsɛp təˈbɪl ɪ ti /

noun

plural

susceptibilities

1. state or character of being susceptible.

   susceptibility to disease.

2. capacity for receiving mental or moral impressions; tendency to be emotionally affected.

3. susceptibilities, capacities for emotion; feelings.

   His susceptibilities are easily wounded.

4. Electricity.

   1. electric susceptibility.

   2. magnetic susceptibility.

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susceptibility British  

/ səˌsɛptəˈbɪlɪtɪ /

noun

1. the quality or condition of being susceptible

2. the ability or tendency to be impressed by emotional feelings; sensitivity

3. (plural) emotional sensibilities; feelings

4. physics

   1. Also called: electric susceptibility.   Χ.  (of a dielectric) the amount by which the relative permittivity differs from unity

   2.  Κ.  Also called: magnetic susceptibility.  (of a magnetic medium) the amount by which the relative permeability differs from unity

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Related Words

See sensibility.

Other Word Forms

• nonsusceptibility noun
• oversusceptibility noun
• presusceptibility noun
• unsusceptibility noun

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.

Example Sentences

Just as important, I’m using AI to tame my human susceptibility to praise, so that when I do get a sycophantic response to my prompts, I take it with a hearty grain of salt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

Future work will explore whether early or occasional exposure to GM-CSF may prime bone marrow cells in ways that increase susceptibility to IBD over time, potentially opening the door to earlier intervention and prevention strategies.

From Science Daily • Jan. 25, 2026

Only drilling—which is costly and disruptive—reveals the truth about a site’s susceptibility to collapse.

From Slate • Oct. 17, 2025

Other research, the study noted, has found “greater male susceptibility to cortical atrophy and neuroinflammation under stress, which aligns with our findings of heightened pandemic-related brain aging in males.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 30, 2025

The British have already tested a large number of other species for susceptibility to radiation.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson