Standard Lemma guide

vulnerable

adj · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • proscribed: /ˈvʌn(ə)ɹəbl̩/
  • CMU ARPABET: V AH1 L N ER0 AH0 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

More or most likely to be exposed to the chance of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • You are vulnerable to be bullied by someone at school.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

More or most likely to be exposed to the chance of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.

Open to disclosing one's inner thoughts and feelings, acting in spite of one's instinct to self-preservation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • It's okay to get vulnerable every now and again.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

More likely to be exposed to malicious programs or viruses.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

Examples

  • a vulnerable PC with no antivirus software

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

at moderate risk of extinction though not quite endangered.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Welsh is merely a vulnerable language, but Irish and Scottish Gaelic are definitely endangered.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective

Meaning 5

susceptible to attack

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a vulnerable bridge

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: invulnerable

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

capable of being wounded or hurt

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • vulnerable parts of the body

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

susceptible to criticism or persuasion or temptation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • vulnerable to bribery
  • an argument vulnerable to refutation

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Late Latin vulnerābilis (“injurious, wounding”), from Latin vulnerō (“to wound”).

Across languages

Translations

77 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: عرضة — exposed to attack
  • Arabic: عُرْضَة لِلْجَرْح — exposed to attack
  • Arabic: هَشّ (hašš) — exposed to attack
  • Arabic: ضَعِيْف (ḍaʕiyf) — exposed to attack
  • Armenian: խոցելի (xocʻeli) — exposed to attack
  • Azerbaijani: dişbatan — exposed to attack
  • Basque: zaurgarri — exposed to attack
  • Belarusian: уразлі́вы (urazlívy) — exposed to attack
  • Bulgarian: уязви́м (ujazvím) — exposed to attack
  • Catalan: vulnerable — exposed to attack
  • Chinese Mandarin: 脆弱的 (cuìruò de) — exposed to attack
  • Chinese Mandarin: 敏感的 (mǐngǎn de) — exposed to attack
  • Chinese Mandarin: 易損的 /易损的 (yìsǔn de) — exposed to attack
  • Chinese Mandarin: 弱勢的 /弱势的 (ruòshì de) — exposed to attack
  • Czech: zranitelný — exposed to attack
  • Danish: sårbar — exposed to attack
  • Dutch: kwetsbaar — exposed to attack
  • Esperanto: vundebla — exposed to attack
  • Faroese: viðbrekin — exposed to attack
  • Finnish: haavoittuvainen — exposed to attack
  • Finnish: herkkä — exposed to attack
  • French: vulnérable — exposed to attack
  • Galician: vulnerable — exposed to attack
  • Georgian: დაუცველი (daucveli) — exposed to attack
  • Georgian: მოწყვლადი (moc̣q̇vladi) — exposed to attack
  • German: verletzlich — exposed to attack
  • German: verwundbar — exposed to attack
  • German: empfindlich — exposed to attack
  • Greek: ευάλωτος (eválotos) — exposed to attack
  • Hebrew: פגיע — exposed to attack
  • Hindi: असुरक्षित (asurakṣit) — exposed to attack
  • Hungarian: sebezhető — exposed to attack
  • Hungarian: sérülékeny — exposed to attack
  • Hungarian: veszélyeztetett — exposed to attack
  • Hungarian: fenyegetett — exposed to attack
  • Hungarian: támadható — exposed to attack
  • Icelandic: særanlegur — exposed to attack
  • Icelandic: viðkvæmur — exposed to attack
  • Indonesian: rentan — exposed to attack
  • Irish: soghonta — exposed to attack
  • Italian: vulnerabile — exposed to attack
  • Japanese: 傷つきやすい (kizutsuki-yasui) — exposed to attack
  • Japanese: 脆い (moroi) — exposed to attack
  • Japanese: 弱い (yowai) — exposed to attack
  • Japanese: 脆弱な (zeijaku na) — exposed to attack
  • Kazakh: қорғансыз (qorğansyz) — exposed to attack
  • Khmer: ដែលងាយធ្វើអោយឈឺចាប់ (dael ngiey tvəə aoy chɨɨ cap) — exposed to attack
  • Korean: 상처 입기 쉬운 (sangcheo ipgi swiun) — exposed to attack
  • Korean: 취약한 (chwiyakhan) — exposed to attack
  • Korean: 연약한 (yeonyakhan) — exposed to attack
  • Latin: forābilis — exposed to attack
  • Lithuanian: pažeidžiamas — exposed to attack
  • Macedonian: ра́нлив (ránliv) — exposed to attack
  • Manx: so-lhottey — exposed to attack
  • Māori: pānekeneke — exposed to attack
  • Māori: whakaraerae — exposed to attack
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sårbar — exposed to attack
  • Persian: آسیبپذیر (âsib-pazir) — exposed to attack
  • Polish: wrażliwy — exposed to attack
  • Polish: bezbronny — exposed to attack
  • Portuguese: vulnerável — exposed to attack
  • Romanian: vulnerabil — exposed to attack
  • Russian: уязви́мый (ujazvímyj) — exposed to attack
  • Russian: рани́мый (ranímyj) — exposed to attack
  • Serbo-Croatian: рањив (ranjiv) — exposed to attack
  • Serbo-Croatian: rànjiv — exposed to attack
  • Sicilian: vurniràbbili — exposed to attack
  • Slovak: zraniteľný — exposed to attack
  • Slovene: ranljiv — exposed to attack
  • Lower Sorbian: zranjobny — exposed to attack
  • Spanish: vulnerable — exposed to attack
  • Swedish: sårbar — exposed to attack
  • Swedish: utsatt — exposed to attack
  • Thai: เปราะบาง — exposed to attack
  • Ukrainian: ура́зливий (urázlyvyj) — exposed to attack
  • Ukrainian: уразли́вий (urazlývyj) — exposed to attack
  • Vietnamese: dễ tổn thương — exposed to attack
Real reading context

vulnerable in complete knowledge articles