1

What do you call a person (not merely a young one) who seems to be easy to influence. Someone who others can have their own effect and impact on them in many aspects of their lives:

He is a very impressible person.

He is a very impressionable person.

He is a very susceptible person.

He is a very malleable person.

Based on above links' definitions, you'll see that they can indicate this message about someone, but which one can be used in common and everyday speech? (Of course what I am looking for in my own language is considered a formal word too, but most of the people would understand it even not well educated people.)

2
  • 2
    "impressionable" is the most natural-sounding one to my ear
    – D. Nelson
    Commented Jan 25, 2017 at 12:14
  • @A-friend :Do you mean to ask someone who gets easily influenced by others ?
    – EngFan
    Commented Jan 25, 2017 at 13:37

1 Answer 1

1

To impress can mean either to delight someone with an achievement OR to press against something in order to apply or stamp a pattern.

Impression can mean either an instance where someone was delighted OR an instance where a pattern was stamped on something. When impression is used with a persion, the first meaning will be assumed. Impressible doesn't strongly have such a "default" assumption without context, so it will probably sound weird. The phrase easy to impress or impressionable should be used instead.

Susceptible is synomymous with weak against and doesn't mean the same as impress unless you say "He is very susceptible to being impressed.*

Malleable is a term applied to objects, particularly metal objects, meaning they can easily be physically bent and changed into different forms. You can use this figuratively if the context supports it, but a physical method of being "bent" will likely be assumed unless you specify otherwise. E.g. "His impression of others was easily malleable."

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .