receptive

What it means

1. Capable of receiving something.

   Antonyms: irreceptive, nonreceptive, unreceptive

2. Ready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas.

   receptive to the idea

   3 more examples

   The patient was receptive to her treatment.

   The owner drank cider at the Spotted Woodpigeon and talked pleasantly with the villagers, who, on learning that he had never even heard of the Surrey cattle-maimings, were at great pains to pour information and theories into his receptive ear.

   1921, Herbert Jenkins, Malcolm Sage, Detective

   But, while the others took weeks - hell, even months - to get used to everything, myself included, you found your footing in a matter of days. And not just that - you've also become someone they can trust, even if they don't seem receptive. It's times like these they're gonna need someone like that the most. You're very strong, Pomni. And I know you'll be able to get through this.

   2026 June 19, Gooseworx, “Remember” (5:06 from the start), in The Amazing Digital Circus, episode 9, spoken by Kinger (Sean Chiplock)

   Synonyms: acceptive, susceptive · Antonyms: unreceptive

3. biologyReady for reproduction; fertile.

   1 more example

   When the delightful draught is quaffed and the winged beggar turns to leave, it is confronted with a straight and narrow way out, and before the open can be reached our bee must squeeze under a receptive stigma covered with sticky hairs which comb the pollen grains from the fuzzy back of the visitor.

   1917 June 28, National Geographic Magazine, Volume 31/Number 6/Our State Flowers/The Moccasin Flower

In a sentence

receptive to the idea

Where it comes from

1. Proto-Italic*wre-
2. Latinre-
3. Proto-Indo-European*kap-
4. Proto-Indo-European*kapyéti
5. Proto-Italic*kapjō
6. Latincapiō
7. Latinrecipiō
8. Latinreceptus
9. Medieval Latinreceptivus
10. Middle Englishreceptive
11. Englishreceptive

From Late Middle English receptive, receptyue (“capable of receiving something; acting as a receptacle”), borrowed from Medieval Latin receptivus (“capable of receiving something”), from Latin receptus (“retaken, having been retaken; received, having been received”) + -īvus (suffix added to the perfect passive participial stems of verbs, forming a deverbal adjective meaning ‘doing; related to doing’). Receptus is the perfect passive participle of recipiō (“to regain possession, take back; to recapture; to receive; to accept, undertake”), from re- (prefix meaning ‘back, backwards; again’) + capiō (“to capture, catch, take; to take hold, take possession; to take on; to contain, hold; to occupy; to possess; to receive, take in; to comprehend, understand; to captivate, charm”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to hold; to seize”)).