receptive

adjective

re·​cep·​tive ri-ˈsep-tiv 

1

: able or inclined to receive

especially : open and responsive to ideas, impressions, or suggestions

2

a

of a sensory end organ : fit to receive and transmit stimuli

b

: sensory

3

of a female animal : willing to copulate with a male

a receptive mare

receptively adverb

receptiveness noun

receptivity

ˌrē-ˌsep-ˈti-və-tē 

ri-

noun

Synonyms

• broad-minded
• open
• open-minded

Examples of receptive in a Sentence

I was happy to be speaking before such a receptive audience.

needed a partner who was receptive to new ways of managing the business

Recent Examples on the Web

That resulted in a much larger pool of Black and Latino voters who were receptive to Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric. —Michael Tesler, ABC News, 20 Nov. 2024

After company executives provided data on engineering graduate-level graduation rates on campuses in those members’ districts and told stories about the need for talent, the members of Congress expressed shock and were receptive to changing the law. —Stuart Anderson, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024

Some critics back home were less receptive to the speech, which some local media covered from afar. —Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN, 4 Nov. 2024

The core of this argument is one that is finding receptive audiences, especially in states where voters might not love Harris but are susceptible to the suggestion that the United States needs to move past the chaos of the Trump years. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

receptive

adjective

re·​cep·​tive ri-ˈsep-tiv 

1

: able or willing to receive especially ideas

2

: able to receive and pass on stimuli

the receptive part of the retina

receptively adverb

receptiveness noun

receptivity

ˌrē-ˌsep-ˈtiv-ət-ē 

ri-

noun

Medical Definition

receptive

adjective

re·​cep·​tive ri-ˈsep-tiv 

1

: open and responsive to ideas, impressions, or suggestions

2

a

of a sensory end organ : fit to receive and transmit stimuli

b

: sensory sense 1

receptiveness noun

receptivity

ˌrē-ˌsep-ˈtiv-ət-ē, ri- 

noun

plural receptivities