receptive

re·cept·ive
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UK/ɹɪˈsɛptɪv/US/ɹəˈsɛptɪv/

adjective

Capable of receiving something.

“receptive fluency”

Less commonScrabble 16Word of the Day · Mar 9, 2022

Meanings

adjectivereceptive (comparative more receptive, superlative most receptive)

comparative more receptive · superlative most receptive

  1. 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

  2. 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
  3. human sciencesOf, affecting, or pertaining to the understanding of language rather than its expression.

    receptive fluency

    1 more example

    receptive aphasia

    Antonyms: expressive

  4. biologyOf a female animal (especially a mammal): prepared to mate; in heat, in oestrus.

    Synonyms: oestrual

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveCapable of receiving something.

adjectiveReady to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas.

Opposite

adjectiveOf, affecting, or pertaining to the understanding of language rather than its expression.

Opposite

adjectiveOf a female animal (especially a mammal): prepared to mate; in heat, in oestrus.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveopen to arguments, ideas, or change

Similar

adjectiveready or willing to receive favorably

Opposite

adjectiveof a nerve fiber or impulse originating outside and passing toward the central nervous system

adjectiveable to absorb liquid (not repellent)

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  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”)).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek πᾰθητῐκός
  • πᾰθητῐκός (păthētĭkós)capable of receiving something
Arabic سَمَّاع
  • سَمَّاع (sammāʕ)ready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
Bulgarian възприемчив, разгонена
  • възприемчив (văzpriemčiv)ready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
  • разгонена (razgonena)of a female animal: prepared to mate — see also in heat
Catalan receptiu, receptiu
  • receptiucapable of receiving something
  • receptiuready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
Danish modtagelig, modtagelig
  • modtageligcapable of receiving something
  • modtageligready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
Dutch ontvankelijk, vatbaar
  • ontvankelijkready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
  • vatbaarready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
Esperanto akceptema, akceptema
  • akceptemacapable of receiving something
  • akceptemaready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
Finnish vastaanottavainen, avoin
  • vastaanottavainencapable of receiving something
  • avoinready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
  • myötätuntoinenready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
  • taipuvainenready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
  • vastaanottavainenready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
  • vastaanottokykyinenready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
French réceptif
  • réceptifready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
German rezeptiv, empfangsbereit
  • rezeptivcapable of receiving something
  • empfangsbereitcapable of receiving something
  • aufnahmefähigready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
  • empfänglichready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
Greek παθητικός
  • παθητικός (pathitikós)capable of receiving something
Hungarian befogadó
  • befogadócapable of receiving something
Irish gabhálach, glacach
  • gabhálachcapable of receiving something
  • glacachcapable of receiving something
  • gabhálachready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
Italian recettibile, ricettivo
  • recettibilecapable of receiving something
  • ricettivocapable of receiving something
Latin susceptīvus
  • susceptīvusready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
Māori mauminamina, mauminamina
  • mauminaminacapable of receiving something
  • mauminaminaready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
  • mauritūready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
Norwegian Bokmål mottakelig
  • mottakeligready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
Persian نیوشا
  • نیوشا (niyušâ)capable of receiving something
Polish chłonny
  • chłonnycapable of receiving something
Portuguese receptivo, recetivo
  • receptivocapable of receiving something
  • recetivocapable of receiving something
  • recetívelcapable of receiving something
  • receptívelcapable of receiving something
  • receptivoready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
  • recetivoready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
  • recetívelready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
  • receptívelready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
  • abertoready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
Romanian receptiv, primitor
  • receptivcapable of receiving something
  • primitorcapable of receiving something
Russian восприимчивый
  • восприимчивый (vospriimčivyj)capable of receiving something
Spanish receptivo, receptivo
  • receptivocapable of receiving something
  • receptivoready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas
Swedish öppen
  • öppenready to receive something, especially new concepts or ideas

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with receptive

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

receptive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/receptive

MLA

“receptive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/receptive. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “receptive,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/receptive.

Source: receptive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.