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
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
Explanation
If you are susceptible to something such as infections or earaches, it means you are likely to become sick with these things. Have you ever received something you don't want? Well, with susceptible meaning "likely to be influenced or affected by" that is probably going to be the case. If you're susceptible to flattery, and someone wants something from you, all they have to do is give you a compliment or two and you'll do what they want. Material that's susceptible to cracking won't be in good condition for long.
Vocabulary lists containing susceptible
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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1984
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Esperanza Rising
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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.
“Smaller funds tend to lend to smaller borrowers who are more susceptible to stress in a higher rate environment or a tougher macro environment,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026
In practice, this means the system can withstand many small, random disruptions but remains highly susceptible to targeted shocks affecting critical nodes.
From Science Daily • Jun. 20, 2026
As a result, people were more susceptible to being scammed - something that often happened at a vulnerable moment, even if the victim did not consider themselves vulnerable to being tricked.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026
But when I asked if I might be susceptible to it, he replied, “Oh, totally.”
From Slate • Jun. 13, 2026
In the Adams formulation, aristocracies were to society as the passions were to the individual personality, permanent fixtures susceptible to disciplined containment and artful channeling, but never altogether removable.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
