susceptibility

susceptibility — noun

1. the inability to resist harmful influences, diseases, or other negative effects

1.nounB2
Definition

the inability to resist harmful influences, diseases, or other negative effects that most people or things can withstand

Example

Doctors told Nkechi that her weak immune system raised her susceptibility to common infections.

collocation: susceptibility to [disease/infection]

The new drug lowers susceptibility to certain types of skin cancer in older patients.

pattern: lower/increase/reduce susceptibility to [condition]

Common collocations
  • increased susceptibility
  • reduced susceptibility
  • genetic susceptibility
  • susceptibility to disease
  • susceptibility to infection
  • susceptibility to damage
  • susceptibility to pressure
Synonyms
  • vulnerability

    broader term that includes physical, emotional, and situational weakness; 'susceptibility' adds the idea of lacking internal resistance

  • sensitivity

    focuses on strong reaction to a stimulus; often used for allergies or emotional responsiveness

  • predisposition

    a natural tendency or genetic likelihood toward a specific condition, especially in medical contexts

Antonyms
  • resistance

    the ability to fight off harm or infection; 'resistance' is the active counterpart of 'susceptibility'

  • immunity

    complete protection against a disease, making one not susceptible at all

Grammar Patterns

susceptibility + to + noun phrase

susceptibility + to + -ing verb form

Usage Note

Most common in health, medicine, and agriculture contexts. The noun is typically followed by the preposition 'to', which introduces the harmful thing (disease, influence, damage). Unlike the adjective 'susceptible', the noun is almost always uncountable in this sense.

Common Mistakes

His susceptibility of infections worried the doctors.
His susceptibility to infections worried the doctors.
The correct preposition is 'to', not 'of'.
Smoking increases susceptibility for lung disease.
Smoking increases susceptibility to lung disease.
Always use 'to', not 'for'.

2. the part of a person's emotional nature that is easily wounded or offended by th

2.nounC1
Definition

the part of a person's emotional nature that is easily wounded or offended by the words or actions of others

Example

Wren was careful not to offend anyone's religious susceptibilities during the ceremony.

pattern: possessive + susceptibilities (plural form)

The Morning Post article mocked Hakka wedding traditions, ignoring the community's cultural susceptibilities.

pattern: [adjective] susceptibilities

Common collocations
  • hurt someone's susceptibilities
  • offend someone's susceptibilities
  • respect someone's susceptibilities
  • religious susceptibilities
  • political susceptibilities
  • cultural susceptibilities
  • personal susceptibilities
Synonyms
  • sensitivity

    overlaps significantly but 'susceptibilities' specifically implies vulnerability to being hurt, not just awareness

  • sensibilities

    a near-synonym; 'sensibilities' emphasises refined or cultivated feelings, while 'susceptibilities' emphasises the ease of being hurt

  • touchiness

    more informal and less precise; implies being easily annoyed rather than deeply wounded

Antonyms
  • resilience

    the ability to recover quickly from emotional hurt, the opposite of being easily wounded

  • thick skin

    informal idiom describing someone who is not easily hurt by criticism or offense

Grammar Patterns

someone's susceptibilities

[adjective] susceptibilities (e.g. religious susceptibilities)

Usage Note

Almost always appears in the plural form (susceptibilities) when referring to someone's feelings. Commonly preceded by a possessive (her susceptibilities, the group's susceptibilities) or an adjective describing the area of sensitivity (religious, political, cultural, personal). This sense is formal or literary and is rare in everyday conversation.

Common Mistakes

I was afraid of hurting his susceptibility.
I was afraid of hurting his susceptibilities.
Use the plural form when referring to a person's sensitive feelings.
She has a strong susceptibility.
She has strong susceptibilities.
The singular suggests the medical/general meaning; use the plural for the feelings sense.

Word family

  • susceptible
    adjectiveB2
  • susceptibly
    adverbC1
  • unsusceptible
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words describe a lack of protection from negative forces, but they differ in scope and context. 'Vulnerability' is the broadest term — it can refer to physical, emotional, digital, or systemic weakness (e.g., a network's vulnerability to hackers). 'Susceptibility' adds the nuance of an internal lack of resistance rather than an external exposure: a patient can be susceptible to a virus because their immune system is weak. 'Sensitivity' focuses on the strength of reaction to a stimulus — a person with sensitive skin reacts strongly to certain chemicals, whereas someone susceptible to a disease may not react visibly at all. 'Predisposition' is the most specific: it describes a pre-existing tendency toward a particular condition, often genetic. For example: 'The doctor noted a family predisposition to diabetes' suggests inheritance, not just a moment of weakness.

vulnerability ↗sensitivity ↗predisposition

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • increase susceptibility to
  • reduce susceptibility to
  • lower susceptibility to
  • genetic susceptibility to

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'susceptibilis' (capable of being affected), built from 'suscipere' (to take up, receive, admit), which combines 'sub-' (meaning 'up from under') and 'capere' (meaning 'to take'). The word entered English through French in the 1600s, first describing a person's general receptiveness to impressions. The medical sense (lack of resistance to disease) developed in the 1800s. The plural noun 'susceptibilities' referring to sensitive feelings became common in the 19th century.