Susceptible is an adjective meaning easily influenced, harmed, or affected by something. It describes someone or something prone to a particular condition or effect, often due to vulnerability, exposure, or lack of resistance. The word is commonly used in medical, psychological, and risk contexts to indicate likelihood or susceptibility to a factor.
US: rhotic? yes, rhotacize the r in adjacent words but not in susceptible itself; keep /ɚ/ in unstressed /ə/; UK: more non-rhotic; AU: similar to UK, but vowels may be broader and faster. Vowel notes: /ə/ is schwa; /ɪ/ variant is possible in some speakers (sus-SEP-tə-bl). IPA references: /səˈsɛptəb(ə)l/ (US); /səˈseptəbl/ (UK/AU). Consonants: /s/ sibilant, /t/ released, final cluster /bl/.
"Children are particularly susceptible to the common cold during the winter months."
"The region is highly susceptible to flooding after prolonged rainfall."
"If you don’t wear sunscreen, your skin becomes more susceptible to sunburn."
"Some plants are susceptible to disease unless they are properly treated."
Susceptible derives from the Latin susceptibilis, meaning ‘able to be affected,’ which comes from suscipere ‘to undertake, undergo, to take up,’ itself from sub- ‘up, under’ and capere ‘to take.’ The term entered English in the late 16th to early 17th century, initially with senses around being capable of being influenced or affected. Early usage often related to moral, medical, or physical susceptibility. Over time, the sense broadened to describe vulnerability to diseases, environmental factors, or psychological influences. The prefix sus- in susceptibility often aligns with ‘under’ or ‘from underneath’ in its Latin lineage. The modern medical and scientific usage solidified in the 19th and 20th centuries as fields began quantifying susceptibility in populations and individuals. The word’s pronunciation settled around the stressed second syllable: /səˈsɛptəbl/, with the trailing -ble commonly reduced in rapid speech. First known uses appear in medical and philosophical texts discussing the likelihood of experiencing particular effects or diseases, evolving to a general descriptor of vulnerability in everyday language.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Susceptible" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Susceptible"
-ble sounds
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Pronounce as /səˈsɛptəbl/. The strong stress is on the second syllable: suh-SEP-tuh-buhl. Start with a neutral schwa, then an E as in bed, then a quick /t/ followed by a reduced second vowel, finishing with a light /bəl/ cluster where -ble often sounds like -bl in fast speech. For tips, keep the tongue high for /s/ and /sɛ/; place the tongue tip behind the upper teeth for /t/; the final /l/ is light. Audio reference: listen to native speakers on Pronounce and Forvo.
Common errors: (1) Over-syllabicating the final -ble, pronouncing it as -blee or -bul; (2) Misplacing the stress, saying su-SCEP-ti-ble or su-sep-TA-ble; (3) Slurring the /t/ or turning it into a glottal stop before the -able, producing /səˈsɛpɾəbəl/. Correction: keep /t/ crisp before the schwa and /bl/ cluster, maintain stress on the second syllable, and keep the final /l/ light. Practice with minimal pairs and slow repetition to fix the rhythm.
US: /səˈsɛptəb(ə)l/ with rhoticity affecting linked vowels; UK: /səˈseptɪbl/ or /səˈsep(t)əbl/, less fronted in some regions; AU: similar to UK but with slightly flatter vowels and vowel shortening in casual speech. The main differences: vowel quality in the second syllable (/ɛ/ vs /ɪ/), and how much /t/ is released before the /ə/ or /bl/. The final syllable often reduces to /bəl/ in all three, but Australians may maintain a crisper /t/ in careful speech.
Two primary challenges: first, the stress pattern places emphasis on the second syllable, which can cause you to mis-stress the word as /səˈsɛptə/ or /ˈsəˈsɛptəbəl/; second, the /pt/ cluster is quick and the following /ə/ can reduce, making it easy to blur into /ptəbl/. The combination of a voiced/unvoiced transition in /pt/ and the light final -ble can lead to slippage in casual speech. Focus on crisp /t/ release and a distinct final /bl/.
Susceptible combines vulnerability with a potential to be influenced by a specific factor, unlike broader adjectives like vulnerable or liable. The precise meaning hinges on the object of susceptibility (susceptible to infection, disease, or influence). It often requires a prepositional phrase (to X) and implies a condition of openness or predisposition rather than a definite outcome.
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