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

What exists instead of a government is “heads of authority” with various kinds of clout and vulnerability.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Addressing his wildly speculated about absence, McConnell said: "Folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older".

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

Without hesitation, Sosie launched into her sequence, a modern dance full of grace and power and vulnerability.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

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

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

In early April, the San Francisco-based company released Mythos only to a handful of trusted organizations due to its abilities to expose cyber safety vulnerabilities to bad actors.

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

All the old vulnerabilities, all the old fears of being somehow flawed gathered in her stomach and made her hands tremble.

From "Sula" by Toni Morrison

Related Words

• susceptibility