Skip to main content
receptive

receptive

1 4.5
Can absorb liquid or other substances
  • adjective
  • /rɪˈsɛptɪv/
translation icon : absorbente
  • To summarize, children had a higher risk of being a late bloomer when they displayed receptive vocabulary delay at 18 months and when their mothers were older.
  • receptive vocabulary
  • receptive language
  • receptive and expressive

Examples

  • The children showed significant growth in their English receptive vocabulary and Spanish receptive vocabulary as measured by raw scores on the PPVT-III and TVIP across multiple time points.

    Academic text (2014)
  • ASSET is a test of receptive and expressive semantic abilities in preschool and early elementary children.

    Academic text (2004)
  • And then when we sandwiched it like that, you were more receptive to the red.

  • Her face was narrow, receptive; her neck long on sloping shoulders.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • High initial Spanish receptive vocabulary was associated with greater growth in English receptive vocabulary and decelerated growth in Spanish receptive vocabulary.

    Academic text (2014)
  • In contrast, children who had higher receptive language scores were more likely to be victimized by peers than children with lower scores.

    Academic text (2014)
  • Results: The ELLs' average predicted standard score on an English receptive vocabulary at kindergarten was nearly 2 SDs below the mean for monolingual peers.

    Academic text (2014)
  • The top of the pistil is called the stigma, which is a sticky surface receptive to pollen.

  • Even with light rain and overcast conditions, the fairways remained fast and the greens were more receptive.

  • The concentration of anandamide changes as the uterus becomes more receptive to embryo implantation.

Synonyms

absorbent
vsreceptive
10 3.4

Able to soak up liquid easily

is able to take in substances without repelling them
absorptive
vsreceptive
1 6.8

Able to take in liquids or energy, like a sponge

applies mainly to liquids being taken up not to energy absorption
absorbable
vsreceptive
1 4.6

Able to go into a material through its surface, for example skin or fabric

describes ability to absorb rather than holding substances
resorptive
vsreceptive
  • Specialized
9.2

Able to absorb or break down material in body tissues

is general ability to take in substances outside biological context

Antonyms

4 6.6

Not allowing water or air to pass through

1 4.4

Not letting water or other liquids soak in

Compounds

receptive aphasia
  • Specialized
9.9

A condition where a person speaks in long sentences that do not make sense and cannot understand speech or writing

How Absorbent

spongy
11 2.2
absorbent
10 3.4
receptive
1 4.5
impermeable
4 6.6

Surface Forms

receptive positive

Morphology

receptive = receive (transparent) = recept + ive

The sense 'able to absorb or take up (liquid)' follows directly from the notion of 'receiving' something plus the productive suffix '-ive'.

Etymology

Receptive comes from the Latin word recipere meaning 'to take' and is related to receive. A receptive material 'takes' in liquids like a sponge, so it easily absorbs water or dye.