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I'm looking for a word to describe my son. Basically, he sucks in virtually everything around him - music, books, adult conversations, etc - and adds that to his mental image(s) of how the world works.

It's something like absorptive, but that does not feel active enough. Thoughts?

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9 Answers 9

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To describe someone who, for instance, can't get her hands on enough books to read, we often use the adjective insatiable (as in insatiable reader).

You might describe your son the same way, either as just insatiable or as an insatiable learner.

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  • Thanks, @Hugo! From what I understand, it's an elite club. :)
    – user13141
    Commented Dec 16, 2011 at 10:58
  • insatiable is quite nice... i don't know why i didn't think about that
    – aronchick
    Commented Dec 16, 2011 at 21:07
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You might call him voracious about observation and learning.

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  • +1 Though I have come across voracious used mostly in relation to reading.
    – Kris
    Commented Dec 16, 2011 at 10:01
  • I've heard people say "He's in his 'voracious' phase" (as opposed to his sullen, withdrawn, insular phase) of their teenage son. I don't recall anyone ever making this distinction about their daughter's fluctuating behaviour.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Dec 17, 2011 at 0:33
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While not a single word, the expression mind like a sponge is often used to describe that concept.

Synonyms: quick mind, ready grasp, receptivity, quick study

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  • Close, but still too passive. Almost more like a bacteria, reaching out and grasping everything around him, growing as a result.
    – aronchick
    Commented Dec 16, 2011 at 1:17
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I've heard the word consumes used to describe this behavior.

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  • This is much closer - Adjective based on this?
    – aronchick
    Commented Dec 16, 2011 at 1:39
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    consumptive, but who wants to say that.
    – ThinkingStiff
    Commented Dec 16, 2011 at 2:27
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    @ThinkingStiff: consumptive genius is a surprisingly common conjunction.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Dec 16, 2011 at 3:45
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I would call your son perceptive, but attentive and intelligent could also be fitting. He could also be said to have an inquiring mind.

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You could say he's receptive - able or quick to receive knowledge, ideas, etc.: a receptive mind.

If he's exceptionally so, maybe hyper-receptive (hyphenated or not). But this can have negative connotations, particularly in medical contexts.

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Absorbent?

Here is the definition of absorb that I have in mind:

: to take in and make part of an existent whole

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Assimilative might be a good word. It means capable of mentally absorbing something. So there is a component of taking it all in, but also fitting new information into your other experiences or world view.

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Black hole, may it acquire positive connotations, and why not? With a hyphen, if you please, to distinguish from the heavenly non-phenomenon.

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  • I personally consider them awesome and deserving great respect.
    – Kris
    Commented Dec 16, 2011 at 7:00
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    My son is [like] a black hole? You must have some pretty weird neighbours if you can say that without them assuming you mean he's a bottomless pit
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Dec 17, 2011 at 0:26
  • @FumbleFingers "may it acquire positive connotations, and why not?" Those with a fascination for the astronomical do not look down upon anything!
    – Kris
    Commented Dec 17, 2011 at 4:37
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    I too think black holes are fascinating, but putting aside Hawking radiation for the moment, to all intents and purposes what goes in to a black hole never comes out. Seems more like what happens to the contents of my wallet when my son gets too close, rather than a suitable metaphor for his acquisition of knowledge.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Dec 17, 2011 at 14:14
  • What about infovorous, like carnivorous, but there is no such thing, right?
    – miraz
    Commented Feb 29, 2012 at 7:33

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