vulnerable C1 Topic:Safety & Risk US /ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩/ See IPA manual Freq #4460 Meanings 1 adj Easily hurt or harmed, physically or emotionally. Young children are especially vulnerable in a crowd. 2 adj Open to attack or damage; not well protected. The bridge is vulnerable from the south. 3 adj Easily influenced or open to criticism, temptation, or pressure. The government is vulnerable to accusations of corruption. Thesaurus Synonyms defencelesshelplesspowerlessunguardedunprotectedweakwoundable ↔ Opposites durableindomitableinvincibleinvulnerablepowerfulstrong Word family Forms vulnerablervulnerablest Derived forms vulnerabilityvulnerably Etymology AI details From Late Latin vulnerābilis (“injurious, wounding”), from Latin vulnerō (“to wound”). *welh₃- Proto-Indo-European vulnerābilis la-lat vulnerō Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Safety & Risk Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # vulnerable **Type:** Word **Level:** C1 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩/ **Frequency rank:** 4460 ## Meanings 1. Easily hurt or harmed, physically or emotionally. 2. Open to attack or damage; not well protected. 3. Easily influenced or open to criticism, temptation, or pressure. ## Examples - Young children are especially vulnerable in a crowd. - The bridge is vulnerable from the south. - The government is vulnerable to accusations of corruption. ## Synonyms - defenceless - helpless - powerless - unguarded - unprotected - weak - woundable ## Antonyms - durable - indomitable - invincible - invulnerable - powerful - strong ## Derived Forms - vulnerability - vulnerably ## Roots and Affixes - Root: *welh₃- - Root: vulnerābilis - Root: vulnerō ## Etymology From Late Latin vulnerābilis (“injurious, wounding”), from Latin vulnerō (“to wound”). ## AI Etymology Vulnerable is from Late Latin vulnerābilis (“injurious, wounding”), from Latin vulnerō (“to wound”). In present-day use, it can mean easily hurt or harmed, physically or emotionally, or open to attack or damage; not well protected. Derived formations include vulnerability and vulnerably. ## Topics - Safety & Risk - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown