susceptibility

noun sus·cep·ti·bil·i·ty \ sə-ˌsep-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē \

|Updated on: 31 Jul 2018

Examples: susceptibility in a Sentence

Definition of susceptibility

plural susceptibilities

1 : the quality or state of being susceptible; especially : lack of ability to resist some extraneous agent (such as a pathogen or drug) : sensitivity

2 a : a susceptible temperament or constitution

b susceptibilities plural : feelings, sensibilities

3 a : the ratio of the magnetization in a substance to the corresponding magnetizing force

b : the ratio of the electric polarization to the electric intensity in a polarized dielectric

See susceptibility defined for English-language learners

See susceptibility defined for kids

Examples of susceptibility in a Sentence

A weak immune system causes increased susceptibility to disease.
his aunt's unfortunate susceptibility to viruses meant she was nearly always sick

Recent Examples of susceptibility from the Web

In some cases, susceptibility to a specific kind of infection—Candida, for example—runs in families.

— claudia wallis, Scientific American, "Extreme Flu? Weird Encephalitis? It May Be Your Genes," 13 July 2018
The only antibiotic the strain showed susceptibility to in the lab tests was spectinomycin, which doctors prescribed next.

— carolyn l. todd, SELF, "How Worried Do You Really Need to Be About So-Called ‘Super Gonorrhea'?," 31 May 2018
The next step is antibiotic susceptibility testing at a lab downstairs.

— sophie cousins, CNN, "Wherever you are in the world, time is running out for treating gonorrhea," 15 May 2018
Most important of all, GLitch illuminates the previously unknown susceptibility of smartphones and potentially other types of devices used by billions of people around the world.

— dan goodin, Ars Technica, "Drive-by Rowhammer attack uses GPU to compromise an Android phone," 3 May 2018
Now, scientists have confirmed that the toad’s toxic slime will likely kill nearly everything in Madagascar that tries to eat it, according to a study that surveyed the susceptibility of 88 species.

— katie langin, Science | AAAS, "Top stories: toxic toads, three-parent babies in Singapore, and the hunt for the Lost Colony," 8 June 2018
But different people have different levels of susceptibility.

— susan spencer, Woman's Day, "The U.S. Surgeon General Wants To Change How We Think About Drug Addiction," 8 Sep. 2016
Yes, this investigation was -- no matter what Trump allies say -- begun as a result of concerns about George Papadopoulos' susceptibility to a Russian influence campaign.

— chris cillizza, CNN, "What Rudy Giuliani gets totally wrong about Robert Mueller," 29 May 2018
The president’s paranoia, susceptibility to conspiracy, and apparent desire to deter and meddle in the Mueller investigation are becoming increasingly disturbing.

— emily stewart, Vox, "Trump says he’ll demand the Justice Department probe whether the FBI spied on his campaign," 20 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'susceptibility.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of susceptibility

1644

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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susceptibility Synonyms

SUSCEPTIBILITY Defined for English Language Learners

susceptibility

noun

Definition of susceptibility for English Language Learners

: the state of being easily affected, influenced, or harmed by something
susceptibilities : a person's feelings

Medical Dictionary

susceptibility

noun sus·cep·ti·bil·i·ty \ sə-ˌsep-tə-ˈbil-ət-ē \

medical Definition of susceptibility

plural susceptibilities

1 : the quality or state of being susceptible : the state of being predisposed to, sensitive to, or of lacking the ability to resist something (as a pathogen, familial disease, or a drug) : sensitivity

2 a : the ratio of the magnetization in a substance to the corresponding magnetizing force — see paramagnetic

b : the ratio of the electric polarization to the electric intensity in a polarized dielectric