susceptible
Americanadjective
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admitting or capable of some specified treatment.
susceptible of a high polish; susceptible to various interpretations.
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accessible or especially liable or subject to some influence, mood, agency, etc..
susceptible to colds; susceptible to flattery.
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capable of being affected emotionally; impressionable.
adjective
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(postpositive; foll by of or to) yielding readily (to); capable (of)
hypotheses susceptible of refutation
susceptible to control
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liable to be afflicted (by)
susceptible to colds
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easily impressed emotionally
Other Word Forms
- nonsusceptible adjective
- nonsusceptibleness noun
- nonsusceptibly adverb
- oversusceptible adjective
- oversusceptibleness noun
- oversusceptibly adverb
- presusceptible adjective
- susceptibleness noun
- susceptibly adverb
- unsusceptible adjective
- unsusceptibleness noun
- unsusceptibly adverb
Etymology
Origin of susceptible
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Late Latin susceptibilis, from suscept(us) “taken up” (past participle of suscipere “to take up, support,” from sus- sus- + -cipere, combining form of capere “to take”) + -ibilis -ible
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.
Children’s lungs are still developing, and lung function continues to mature throughout adolescence, making children more susceptible than adults to the adverse effects of air pollution.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
"Pakistan could be susceptible to allegations that it was naive," he says of that scenario.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
These suits claim that developers created, or refused to provide, certain features that made them especially susceptible to harm and misuse.
From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026
EPG isn’t susceptible to bodies’ fat-digesting enzymes, said Debbie Fetter, an associate professor of teaching in the nutrition department at the University of California, Davis.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
Pregnant girls were the most susceptible, but so were the grandfathers.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
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.
