vulnerability

C1 Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /ˌvʌln(ə)ɹəˈbɪləti/ UK /ˌvʌln(ə)ɹəˈbɪlɪti/ See IPA manual

Freq #18752

Meanings

1

noun
The state of being easily hurt, attacked, or harmed, physically or emotionally.

Sharing his fears with the group took real courage and vulnerability.
2

noun
A specific weak point in a defence or system.

The country recognized its defence vulnerability after the unguarded landing.
3

noun
A weakness in software that an attacker can exploit.

Engineers rushed to fix the security vulnerability before hackers could use it.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the state of being easily... exposure

More vulnerableness

Opposites

invulnerability

Word family

Forms vulnerabilities

Related forms vulnerable

Etymology

From vulnerable + -ity.

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# vulnerability

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌvʌln(ə)ɹəˈbɪləti/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌvʌln(ə)ɹəˈbɪlɪti/
**Frequency rank:** 18752

## Meanings
1. The state of being easily hurt, attacked, or harmed, physically or emotionally.
2. A specific weak point in a defence or system.
3. A weakness in software that an attacker can exploit.

## Examples
- Sharing his fears with the group took real courage and vulnerability.
- The country recognized its defence vulnerability after the unguarded landing.
- Engineers rushed to fix the security vulnerability before hackers could use it.

## Synonyms
- vulnerableness

## Antonyms
- invulnerability

## Related Forms
- vulnerable

## Etymology
From vulnerable + -ity.

## AI Etymology
Vulnerability is from vulnerable + -ity. In present-day use, it can mean the state of being easily hurt, attacked, or harmed, physically or emotionally, or a specific weak point in a defence or system. Related vocabulary includes vulnerable.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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