exposed
Americanadjective
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left or being without shelter or protection.
The house stood on a windy, exposed cliff.
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laid open to view; unconcealed.
an exposed king of spades.
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susceptible to attack; vulnerable.
adjective
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not concealed; displayed for viewing
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without shelter from the elements
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susceptible to attack or criticism; vulnerable
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mountaineering (of a climb, pitch, or move) performed on a high, sheer, and unsheltered rock face
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of exposed
Explanation
Something that's exposed is uncovered or unprotected. An exposed hillside isn't sheltered by hills, trees, or buildings, but is completely open to the wind and weather. If you venture out on a bitterly cold day with no gloves, your exposed fingers might get frostbite, and a soldier in battle with no body armor is dangerously exposed. If you leave a wooden chair outside all year long, exposed to rain and snow and sun, it will eventually fall apart. Exposed comes from the verb expose, "leave without shelter or defense," from the Latin root exponere, "lay open or reveal."
Vocabulary lists containing exposed
"Slam: Performance Poetry Lives On" and "Euphoria"
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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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Uh-Oh: Synonyms for "Dangerous"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Forty-three percent of household wealth is now exposed to the stock market, an increase of 10 percentage points from 2000," said Cavalier.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
The prime minister added: "Credit to the victims, huge credit, the courage that it's taken, but also the journalists who've exposed this."
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
He is particularly keen on PulteGroup, which is less exposed than other builders to more-rate-sensitive, first-time home buyers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
When enamel wears away, or gums recede, exposed dentin can make teeth particularly sensitive to hot, cold, sweet, or acidic foods and drinks.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026
Later in the nineteenth century, scientists will discover that a weak electrical current applied to the exposed brain of a laboratory animal will make certain muscles twitch involuntarily and certain senses sharpen or go dead.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
