Sensitivo vs Suceptible

[deandddd]

People,

I am not finding myself able to truly understand the difference between sensitivo and suceptible.

Any hints?

Dean

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

"Sensitivo" is something or someone capable of feeling physical sensations.
"Susceptible" is someone who gets offended easily.
And there is also "sensible", which can be a synonym of "sensitivo", but when talking about people, it's used to describe someone who is capable of an emotional reaction to something, like appreciating art, getting moved by a noble action, feeling joy/envy for someone else's success, etc.

[aleCcowaN]

Originally Posted by deandddd

People,

I am not finding myself able to truly understand the difference between sensitivo and suceptible.

Any hints?

Dean

I find those words impossible to mix up, so I suppose you may have found susceptible translated as touchy or sensitive, and sensitivo a possible version of sensitive, hence some doubts may have arisen.

Susceptible means that something can receive an external action or receive its effects.

susceptible de ser cambiado
susceptible a algo (a las infecciones; al fuego; a los cambios de temperatura)

are common expressions.

By extension, some person is susceptible if minimal actions throw them out of balance or provoke disproportionate reactions. So, una persona susceptible can be easily offended, or fall easily into depresion, or show a touchy demeanor all the time.

On the other hand sensitivo and sensible refer to the senses. The first one points to the hardware while the second one points to the function.

Los bigotes (whiskers) de los gatos son muy sensibles porque tienen terminaciones nerviosas muy sensitivas en sus raíces.

By extension una persona sensible (or "sensitiva" for some speakers), is someone easily affected by music, art, or what is happening to others. Una persona sensible is never touchy or persnickety, but kind and caring.

The term is so specific that we call una historia sensiblera any story developed to elicit emotional reactions and pity, as a mean of ingratiating the story teller and curry favour to them
.

[deandddd]

Thank you!

Dean