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

France’s army chief of staff in November warned his country’s main vulnerability was a lack of fighting spirit.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Taiwan’s geography adds another layer of vulnerability, as the Pacific Ring of Fire exposes production to earthquakes, tsunamis and severe weather events,” says Helfstein.

From MarketWatch

"The fire spread rapidly into a major blaze due to the area's vulnerability to fires, with a dense concentration of temporary structures," authorities said.

From Barron's

It’s a grippingly blunt portrayal that Verbeek slyly undercuts by hinting at the vulnerability guiding her dogged quest.

From Los Angeles Times

The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, disrupted Boyle’s original shoot, and upon its release, his shots of star Cillian Murphy walking through an emptied London seemed to comment on our sudden vulnerability and unease.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• susceptibility