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

Audiences were a bit more receptive overall, giving the series an 8.1 score out of 10 on IMDb and an 82% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. —Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 25 Oct. 2024

Hugging Face has been receptive to the warnings, integrating Protect AI’s tool that scans files for hidden malicious code into its system, deleting problematic files and continuing verification of profiles from big companies including OpenAI and Nvidia. —Megan Poinski, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024

Unlike other political machines across the country, the Burton-Brown organization was receptive to women having power and helped boost several of the city’s prolific female leaders. —Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2024

The minister was receptive, per sources privy to the conversation, while echoing a sentiment shared by her boss, French President Emmanuel Macron. —Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 10 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