vulnerability

American  

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

Rarely vulnerableness

noun

vulnerabilities plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• vulnerabilities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of vulnerability

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

Explanation

Vulnerability is the quality of being easily hurt or attacked. Some seniors think it's funny to pick on the ninth graders because of their vulnerability. Vulnerability comes from the Latin word for "wound," vulnus. Vulnerability is the state of being open to injury, or appearing as if you are. It might be emotional, like admitting that you're in love with someone who might only like you as a friend, or it can be literal, like the vulnerability of a soccer goal that's unprotected by any defensive players.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vulnerability vulnerabilities

Instead, the agents created their own cyber-attack against the sandbox itself, finding a vulnerability which allowed them to escape.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

This gradual decline, known as immunosenescence, can increase vulnerability to age-related health problems and leave some older adults with weaker protection after vaccination.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

But that refusal to risk vulnerability comes back to bite her when the daughter she turned herself inside out to spoil pulls a move reminiscent of Veda in “Mildred Pierce,” betraying Emma for vapid reasons.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

It is both that honesty and vulnerability that are etched into the 14-track LP “Dulce Amargo,” which translates to “bittersweet” in English.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

With his thumb and his forefinger, he slides my eyelids shut, sentencing me to the vulnerability of darkness.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

The ChatGPT-maker said its agents - AI bots which can operate alone after some human instruction – were being tested in a controlled environment, but found vulnerabilities and managed to escape.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

"It did not just attack Hugging Face. It actually attacked its internal system to exploit its own vulnerabilities," Abbass said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

The White House on Thursday released 269 pages of intelligence assessments, internal emails and investigative records—many of them newly declassified—as part of a review of foreign interference and vulnerabilities in U.S. elections.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

The White House isn’t accusing the Times of fabricating a story about the plane’s vulnerabilities.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026

“Lindy’s drawing up articles of incorporation, which will protect your personal assets from any real or perceived vulnerabilities or liabilities of a professional nature.”

From "Lawn Boy Returns" by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

• susceptibility