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

However, while UBS’s index is flagging extreme market vulnerability, the strategists warn that the catalyst is not certain and that they first need to determine what it will or will not be.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

The internet has made it far easier to bond with our friends through memes and slang than through genuine vulnerability.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

First of all, it’s about having the right management team that will lead with, for lack of a better term, vulnerability.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Despite the anti-regulatory headwinds in D.C., states like New York, Indiana, and Maryland all mandate cybersecurity vulnerability assessments for their water systems.

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026

It’s vulnerability that breeds with self-doubt and then is escalated, often deliberately, by fear.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Our water system’s decentralized, fragmented nature, perhaps a bit like our electoral system, is a double-edged sword, inasmuch as its vulnerabilities are atomized—at least a single hacker can’t contaminate all the water in the country.

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026

The tool deployed up to eight autonomous agents that mapped 21 government systems, explored vulnerabilities and changed tactics when blocked, the FT said, describing the attack as a first of its kind.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Open-weight means that anyone can copy the product and use it, but the user has no visibility into how it was developed or whether it has been tuned to create secret security vulnerabilities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

A spokeswoman for Kraken said that any potential vulnerabilities have been identified and closed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Unlike most Odessans, he wasn’t afraid to express his fears and vulnerabilities.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Related Words

• susceptibility