susceptibility

noun

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

plural susceptibilities

Definition of susceptibility

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

2a : a susceptible temperament or constitution

b susceptibilities plural : feelings, sensibilities

3a : 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

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Synonyms & Antonyms for susceptibility

Synonyms

Antonyms

invulnerability

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 on the Web For example, qualities like conscientiousness, modesty and altruism were very weakly related to susceptibility. — Benedict Carey New York Times, Star Tribune, "Why we believe conspiracy theories," 8 Oct. 2020 Within the Tea Party movement, however, there was always a clear strain of paranoia, aggression, susceptibility to irrational conspiracy theories and a tendency to see policy disagreements in apocalyptic terms. — Gilbert Garcia, ExpressNews.com, "Garcia: Capitol riot culminated 12 years of Tea Party resentment," 7 Jan. 2021 The changing of the electoral rules in midcampaign in many states, enabling an avalanche of postal voting—with its notably greater susceptibility to fraud and manipulation—had political consequences that may well have influenced the result. — Gerard Baker, WSJ, "The Bipartisan Moral Rot of America’s Institutions," 14 Dec. 2020 First, the pandemic and the susceptibility to infection, with living and working in crowded spaces and without access to PPE. — Esther Tseng, Bon Appétit, "The Restaurant Industry Needs Indigenous Farm Workers. Yet Their Fate Hangs in the Balance," 3 Nov. 2020 For instance, peatland fires, which are often set deliberately during land conflicts, cause air pollution that the authors say will increase COVID-19 susceptibility for locals. — Kat Eschner, Popular Science, "Conserving tropical peatlands could be key to preventing the next pandemic," 18 Nov. 2020 Epigenetic factors influence our metabolism, our susceptibility to various diseases, and even the way emotional trauma is passed through generations. — Kelly Servick, Science | AAAS, "Researchers restore lost sight in mice, offering clues to reversing aging," 2 Dec. 2020 The latest spike marks the third surge of infections in the US this year, and doesn’t bode well for colder weather that will force more Americans indoors and increase their susceptibility to infection. — Tim Fernholz, Quartz, "While US votes were counted, the pandemic became worse than ever," 8 Nov. 2020 Adalja said that blood types and their susceptibility to various infections have been studied in the medical literature before. — Katie Hunt, CNN, "People with blood type O may have lower risk of Covid-19 infection and severe illness, two new studies suggest," 14 Oct. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

13 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Susceptibility.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/susceptibility. Accessed 25 Feb. 2021.

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More Definitions for susceptibility

susceptibility

noun

English Language Learners Definition of susceptibility

: the state of being easily affected, influenced, or harmed by something

chiefly British, formal : a person's feelings

See the full definition for susceptibility in the English Language Learners Dictionary

susceptibility

noun

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

plural susceptibilities

Medical Definition of susceptibility

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

2a : 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

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