as in vulnerable
lacking protection from danger or resistance against attack
the cowardly soldiers fled, leaving the palace undefended
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of undefended
Trouba opened the scoring in the first period with an undefended slap shot after an egregious Blackhawks turnover.
—
CBS News, 7 Dec. 2025
After all, the two countries share the world's largest undefended border; U.S. State Department officials often took Canadian resistance to economic integration as petty and pyrrhic.
—Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
Mark Collins, who was born and raised in Newfoundland, Canada, said Canadians have long treasured their friendship with the United States and the fact that the US-Canada border is the longest undefended border on the planet.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2025
The border between the two countries is the longest undefended one in the world.
—Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for undefended
CBS News, 7 Dec. 2025
After all, the two countries share the world's largest undefended border; U.S. State Department officials often took Canadian resistance to economic integration as petty and pyrrhic.
—Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
Mark Collins, who was born and raised in Newfoundland, Canada, said Canadians have long treasured their friendship with the United States and the fact that the US-Canada border is the longest undefended border on the planet.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2025
The border between the two countries is the longest undefended one in the world.
—Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for undefended
Recent Examples of Synonyms for undefended
Adjective
-
Tech is vulnerable to a sell-off The AI theme has driven the stock market higher across the past three years.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
-
To make this mulch, crush broken terracotta pieces into smaller chunky shards and scatter them around snail and slug-vulnerable plants, including lettuces, hostas, or strawberries.—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Both Tony and Dick are helpless children of the American Dream — one borne of the system, the other the boss’s literal son, each at the mercy of forces far greater than himself.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Footage then showed McCray carrying her, helpless and disoriented, to a laundry room on Connecticut Street.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Teens are more prone to act on emotion, more susceptible to peer pressure and often less able to consider long-term consequences.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Certain medical conditions and factors like age can also make people more susceptible to the cold.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The picks Memphis is receiving are a 2027 first-rounder (the most favorable between Cleveland, Minnesota and Utah), the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2027 first-rounder (top-four protected) and the Phoenix Suns’ 2031 first-rounder (unprotected), according to the source.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
When the powerless feel unprotected, fear spreads.—
Rabbi Bruce D. Forman,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Undefended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undefended. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
