vulnerability

noun

Definition of vulnerabilitynext
1
as in susceptibility
the quality or state of having little resistance to some outside agent vulnerability to infection

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in exposure
the state of being left without shelter or protection against something harmful the vulnerability of the car to vandalism when it's parked on the street

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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 vulnerability Microsoft entered the cybersecurity-model category in late July with MAI-Cyber-1-Flash, a compact model built specifically for vulnerability analysis. — Ashish Bhatia, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026 The vulnerability could be on defense after coordinator Jay Hill joined Kyle Whittingham at Michigan. — Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026 Managed carefully, a more resilient and diversified interdependence becomes less a vulnerability than a source of mutual restraint and interest in stability. — Gloria Xiong, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 The scale of the destruction has also exposed longstanding vulnerabilities that contributed to the damage. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026 Senegal raised fuel prices by 7% in order to contain the cost of subsidies, underscoring Africa’s vulnerability to foreign energy shocks like the one sparked by the Iran war. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 17 Aug. 2026 There’s a level of vulnerability just to going onstage, period. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 17 Aug. 2026 To write about grief with such vulnerability and detail, and to trust the listener with this much honesty. — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vulnerability
  1. susceptibility
  2. exposure
  3. weakness
  4. sensitivity
Noun
  • This offers one possible explanation for teenage risk-taking behavior and susceptibility to peer influence.
    — J. Todd R. Lawrence, STAT, 27 July 2026
  • Theories range from alien abductions to more scientific explanations like susceptibility to unexpected weather changes.
    — Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 15 July 2026
Definition of susceptibility
Noun
  • Environmental factors — including prenatal exposure to pollution, the age of the father, and maternal health — can also play a role.
    — Amanda Seitz, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • But researchers say major gaps remain in understanding the long-term impacts of both acute and chronic exposure.
    — Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of exposure
Noun
  • If a bear market arrives shortly after retirement, a cash reserve can allow a family to meet expenses without immediately selling long-term investments into weakness.
    — Steve Booren, Denver Post, 16 Aug. 2026
  • To be sure, efforts to prop up the yen were seen as short-term measures to address the symptoms rather than the root causes of the currency’s weakness.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of weakness
Noun
  • Maybe that’s because of the rollback of climate-change policies in Washington, a backlash against ESG or sensitivity about the growing emissions toll of AI.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The resulting mix of companies' labor intensity and AI sensitivity yields a list of productivity beneficiaries within the Russell 1000.
    — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of sensitivity

Browse Nearby Words

vulgarly
vulnerability
vulnerable
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Cite this Entry

“Vulnerability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vulnerability. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of vulnerability for Spanish Speakers

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