# receptive

/ɹiˈsɛptɪv/ (US) · /ɹɪsˈɛptɪv/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Adjective

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/receptive
Updated: 2026-05-06

## Definition

willing to listen to or accept new ideas and suggestions. You use this to describe someone who is open-minded and ready to learn.

For teachers: willing to consider or accept new suggestions and ideas. Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'be', 'seem', or 'become'.

## Examples

- The manager is very receptive to my new ideas.
- The audience was surprisingly receptive to the speaker's controversial proposal for urban reform.
- A successful diplomat must remain receptive to the subtle shifts in their counterpart's position during a negotiation.

## Pitfalls

- Not "receptive for the idea" but "receptive to the idea" — The adjective receptive collocations with the preposition 'to', not 'for'.

## Usage notes

- Typically takes the preposition 'to' when followed by an object. Often follows a linking verb.

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