What does suggestibility mean?
Suggestibility is the quality of being readily influenced by suggestions, especially ideas, claims, or answers supplied by someone else. The term is commonly used in psychology, legal contexts, and discussions of eyewitness testimony, where it may refer to a person's tendency to accept a leading question or accept a proposition without checking it against independent evidence. Suggestibility is not the same as credulity in every respect: credulity is broadly the habit of believing what is said, whereas suggestibility more specifically concerns the influence of another person's prompt or proposal. The word can also refer to a person's general susceptibility to persuasion. It is generally neutral or mildly negative, depending on context. In everyday conversation, describing someone as highly suggestible may imply that they are too easily swayed by others, while in technical writing it is a measured trait assessed through controlled procedures.
nounThe quality of being easily influenced or convinced by suggestion, especially without independently examining the evidence. It most commonly refers to a person's susceptibility to leading questions, persuasive appeals, or the ideas of others.
- The quality or condition of being readily influenced or convinced by suggestion, particularly without independent verification.
"The witness's high suggestibility made the detectives' leading questions especially influential."
"Researchers found that the participants' suggestibility varied considerably when they were asked leading questions."
"His suggestibility was exploited by people who presented speculation as established fact."
Rare; suggestibility is normally used as an uncountable noun.
"The study compared the suggestibilities of different groups of participants."
Suggestibility names a human vulnerability: a mind can accept a suggestion before asking whether the evidence supports it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does suggestibility come from?
Suggestibility is an English formation built on suggest, a word borrowed from Latin suggestus, meaning suggested or hinted. Latin suggestus comes from suggerere, literally to put under or bring before, and ultimately from sub- meaning under and gerere meaning to carry or bring. English developed related forms including suggestion, suggestive, and suggestible, all sharing the same Latin root.
How suggestibility is actually used
This is a formal and mainly psychological or legal term. It can describe ordinary persuasiveness, but it often implies that a person accepted an idea with too little critical scrutiny.
Easily confused with suggestibility
Suggestible is the adjective describing someone who is easily influenced by suggestion, whereas suggestibility is the noun naming that quality.
Suggestibility means susceptibility to others' suggestions, while suggestiveness refers to wording, behaviour, or ideas that convey hints or provocative implications.