vulnerable
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
easy to hurt or attack, either physically or emotionally.
susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm.
Simple“The small village was vulnerable to attacks because it had no walls.”
In context“After the recent scandal, the politician felt increasingly vulnerable to criticism from both the media and his own party members.”
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
describes a computer or system that is not protected against hackers or viruses.
susceptible to exploitation by malicious software or unauthorised users due to a flaw in code or design.
Simple“Old computers are often vulnerable to new types of viruses.”
In context“The security audit revealed that the database was vulnerable to SQL injection attacks due to outdated encryption protocols.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'to'.
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
describes a type of animal or plant that is likely to become endangered soon.
categorised as being at high risk of extinction in the wild, though not yet critically endangered.
Simple“Giant pandas were once endangered, but now they are classified as vulnerable.”
In context“Conservationists are working to protect the habitat of several vulnerable species before their population numbers drop to critical levels.”
Synonyms
Usage vulnerable people · vulnerable communities · vulnerable to preventable
“Experts tell BBC Verify pollution has spread from a ship attacked on 3 August and threatens vulnerable wildlife.”
“A vulnerable girl took her life at 16 having faced terror charges and online grooming by neo-fascists.”
From Late Latin vulnerābilis (“injurious, wounding”), from Latin vulnerō (“I wound”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.