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

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

But building alternate routes to give the region’s energy-export system more resilience will take billions of dollars, and the pipelines meant to bypass the strait and its vulnerability could themselves become targets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

"You all know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older," the statement read.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

Many were in tears, feeling that their every vulnerability was now exposed.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

"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

Vital technology has been upgraded but continues to show vulnerabilities: In mid-June, Newark controllers twice lost radar visibility, including one episode in which controllers couldn’t see aircraft for seven minutes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

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

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026

With Argentina in the semi-finals, a team that have shown vulnerabilities out wide, he will undoubtedly remain fixated on getting his wide triangles to work.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

They acted with utter confidence, because their Operational Net Assessment matrixes told them where Red Team’s vulnerabilities were, what Red Team’s next move was likely to be, and what Red Team’s range of options was.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• susceptibility