vulnerability
Americannoun
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openness or susceptibility to attack or harm.
We need to develop bold policies that will reduce the vulnerability of farmers to drought and floods.
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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.
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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.
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Biology, likeliness to be classified as an endangered species in the near future unless circumstances improve.
the vulnerability of the giraffe.
Etymology
Origin of vulnerability
First recorded in 1800–10; vulnerable ( def. ) + -ity ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Lerosey-Aubril - who is also French - and Ortega-Hernández selected the name to recognize Cousteau's efforts to highlight the beauty and vulnerability of marine life.
From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026
Michael Spyres’ Tristan nicely supplies the vulnerability, while still being strong enough vocally to partner Davidsen, who will give a rare intimate recital at BroadStage in Santa Monica on April 10.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
“The helium shock highlights a deeper vulnerability in the AI build‑out: extreme dependence on a small number of geopolitically exposed nodes,” said Ralf Gubler, research director at S&P Global Energy specializing in industrial gases.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
The fact that credit markets had been at record-tight levels running into the Iranian war heightens the vulnerability of credit markets, although Bergeron did acknowledge the market reaction thus far has been phlegmatic.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
It brought him face to face with his own vulnerability, his own powerlessness.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
