vulnerability

American  

[vuhl-ner-uh-bil-i-tee] / ˌvʌl nər əˈbɪl ɪ ti /

Rarely vulnerableness

noun

1. openness or susceptibility to attack or harm.

   We need to develop bold policies that will reduce the vulnerability of farmers to drought and floods.

2. willingness to show emotion or to allow one’s weaknesses to be seen or known; willingness to risk being emotionally hurt.

   The foundation for open communication consists of honesty, trust, and vulnerability.

3. the condition of needing supportive or protective social services and community resources because of advanced age, poverty, disability, etc..

   the vulnerability of disabled senior citizens.

4. Biology, likeliness to be classified as an endangered species in the near future unless circumstances improve.

   the vulnerability of the giraffe.

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Etymology

Origin of vulnerability

First recorded in 1800–10; vulnerable ( def. ) + -ity ( def. )

Example Sentences

She describes her personal experiences with an insight, vulnerability and openness that is reminiscent of the raw emotions of Peet’s recent performances, which traffic in an understated, unassuming power.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

Instead, the firm invested alongside, and sometimes in, other funds, a feature that is now being treated as a vulnerability.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Critics argue the system rewards workers not for skill or experience, but for what their behavior reveals about their financial vulnerability.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

Having been in power for much of the last two decades, Swinney's strength and vulnerability are flip sides of the same coin.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

Even when he fought, Redemption fought for the beauty of what his body could do, for the frailty of being human, the power and vulnerability tangled up in being flesh.

From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi

Related Words

• susceptibility