1
as in inclined
having a tendency to be or act in a certain way he was prone to emotional outbursts under stress

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in prostrate
lying with the face downwards quickly subdue the suspect and get him into a prone position

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective prone contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of prone are exposed, liable, open, sensitive, subject, and susceptible. While all these words mean "being by nature or through circumstances likely to experience something adverse," prone stresses natural tendency or propensity to incur something.

prone to delay

When would exposed be a good substitute for prone?

The words exposed and prone are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, exposed suggests lack of protection or powers of resistance against something actually present or threatening.

exposed to infection

When is liable a more appropriate choice than prone?

In some situations, the words liable and prone are roughly equivalent. However, liable implies a possibility or probability of incurring something because of position, nature, or particular situation.

liable to get lost

In what contexts can open take the place of prone?

The synonyms open and prone are sometimes interchangeable, but open stresses a lack of barriers preventing incurrence.

a claim open to question

When can sensitive be used instead of prone?

The meanings of sensitive and prone largely overlap; however, sensitive implies a readiness to respond to or be influenced by forces or stimuli.

unduly sensitive to criticism

When could subject be used to replace prone?

The words subject and prone can be used in similar contexts, but subject implies an openness for any reason to something that must be suffered or undergone.

all reports are subject to review

Where would susceptible be a reasonable alternative to prone?

While the synonyms susceptible and prone are close in meaning, susceptible implies conditions existing in one's nature or individual constitution that make incurrence probable.

very susceptible to flattery

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prone So, Uruguay aside, why do Latin American leaders seem so prone to legal trouble? Sofía Benavides, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025 Battery systems based on it are also potentially safer (less prone to thermal runaway, may handle punctures better). Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 13 Sep. 2025 The Illusion Of Understanding Our minds are prone to systematic errors — cognitive biases that lead us astray despite our best intentions. Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025 However, cotton is prone to shrinking and fading in the wash. Bestreviews, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for prone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prone
Adjective
  • As far as exemplars go, those inclined to offer wardrobe support could find a better follow and a better way.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Investors may be more inclined to invest in the later stages, having seen examples of European companies scaling - as Klink puts it - at an insanely high speed.
    Trevor Clawson, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • To his right, where the prostrate body of a dying woman was jostled in the bloody fray.
    Dan Barry, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2025
  • On the sheer upper slopes of one of the world's most unforgiving peaks, mountaineers, determined to reach the world's second-highest summit in a record-breaking string of ascents, appear to step over the prostrate body of Muhammad Hassan - a Pakistani porter who later died.
    Eve Sampson, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Aug. 2023
Adjective
  • But on just the third play of the fourth quarter, veteran tight end Zach Ertz turned a short pass in the flat into a 20-yard TD.
    Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The earliest cars had a 1,131 cc flat-four engine that made 25 hp, barely sufficient to let the 1,700-pound pipsqueak keep up in the right lane of the Autobahn.
    Robert Ross, Robb Report, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Text removed from the July statement is in red with a horizontal line through the middle.
    Alex Harring, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Unlike legacy file and block storage systems that buckle under massive parallel processing demands, however, object storage delivers the horizontal scalability and performance characteristics that AI applications demand.
    Steve McDowell, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Prone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prone. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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