VULNERABLE Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

vulnerable

adjective

ˈvəl-n(ə-)rə-bəl

Definition of vulnerable

as in susceptible

being in a situation where one is likely to meet with harm I'm vulnerable to sunburn whenever I go out in the sun

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in helpless

lacking protection from danger or resistance against attack vulnerable baby chicks

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 vulnerable In their weakened state, hospital patients are particularly vulnerable to infection not only by viruses, but also by microbes such as bacteria and fungi. — New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2026 Ironically, those may be the jobs that purely focus on cost cutting are the most vulnerable to automation. — Scott Levenson, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026 Scientists have also explored more direct interventions, including seabed curtains intended to restrict warm water from reaching vulnerable ice shelves and other proposals to stabilize glaciers. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026 The Mexican navy urged the maritime community and coastal residents to exercise extreme caution due to high waves, heavy rains and the risk of rising river levels, flooding and landslides in vulnerable areas. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vulnerable

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vulnerable

Adjective

Tom describes himself as uniquely susceptible to this kind of stimulation, something that Kenny, the Mount Sinai neuroscientist, says may have some credence.

— Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
The United States also has a uniquely large and diverse economy that is far less susceptible to shocks than many of its smaller peers.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of susceptible

Adjective

The moment when the couple’s infant child is taken from them by the authorities is devastating, each of them capturing a sense of helpless isolation from themselves, their community and each other.

— Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
But the funding cuts mean more and more families like Zarmina's are left helpless.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of helpless

Adjective

However, the fibers cannot simply be dropped into the ocean unprotected.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026
However, during the same season, more than a third of the state’s children went unprotected, and many older Marylanders eligible for the RSV vaccine never received it.

— Adejare Atanda, Baltimore Sun, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of unprotected

Adjective

The end result would be a gassy surface shining as brightly as a more exposed black hole but with the Balmer break and smooth red hump of a 5,000-kelvin star, de Graaff and Naidu theorized.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026
Morgan Stanley said Equinix and Digital Realty are less exposed because their facilities average roughly 5 to 10 megawatts, far below the gigawatt-scale AI campuses planned by hyperscalers and neocloud operators.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of exposed

Adjective

The intersection of Route 229 and Pine Street/Mountain Road has been flagged as the city’s single most crash-prone crossing.

— Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
He’s steeped in these platforms, professionally invested, and not prone to conspiratorial concerns about insider trading or game fixing.

— Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026