susceptible

[suh-sep-tuh-buhl]

adjective

1. admitting or capable of some specified treatment.

   susceptible of a high polish; susceptible to various interpretations.

2. accessible or especially liable or subject to some influence, mood, agency, etc..

   susceptible to colds; susceptible to flattery.

3. capable of being affected emotionally; impressionable.

susceptible

/ səˈsɛptəbəl /

adjective

1. (postpositive; foll by of or to) yielding readily (to); capable (of)

   hypotheses susceptible of refutation

   susceptible to control

2. liable to be afflicted (by)

   susceptible to colds

3. easily impressed emotionally

Other Word Forms

• susceptibleness noun
• susceptibly adverb
• nonsusceptible adjective
• nonsusceptibleness noun
• nonsusceptibly adverb
• oversusceptible adjective
• oversusceptibleness noun
• oversusceptibly adverb
• presusceptible adjective
• unsusceptible adjective
• unsusceptibleness noun
• unsusceptibly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of susceptible¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of susceptible¹

C17: from Late Latin susceptibilis, from Latin suscipere to take up, from _sub- + capere to take

Example Sentences

They executed the kind of game script to which the defending champions have long seemed susceptible.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But basketball has proven especially susceptible to foul play.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

They have taken the dollars while knowing full well that the audience they deliver and their gambling partners want—young men—is the very audience that is most susceptible to problem gambling.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Now leagues that once embraced all kinds of sports betting are trying to curb or halt one of the most popular types of bets, and one that is most susceptible to manipulation: prop bets.

Read more on MarketWatch

"In this instance, those who had a single point of failure in this Amazon region were susceptible to being taken offline," he said.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• affected 
• easy 
• impressionable 
• inclined 
• liable 
• prone 
• ready 
• receptive 
• responsive 
• sensitive 
• vulnerable 
• wide open