vulnerability
/ˌvʌln(ə)ɹəˈbɪləti/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.70 in modern English
21
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
6
Syllables
11
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The state of being vulnerable; susceptibility to attack or injury, either physical or emotional; the state or condition of being weak or poorly defended.
Uncountable
noun
A specific weakness in the protections or defences that (literally or figuratively) surround someone or something.
Countable
noun
A specific weakness in the protections or defences that (literally or figuratively) surround someone or something.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Near-synonym: weakness"
- "The country recognized their defence vulnerability after an airplane landed in front of the central square without any consequences."
- "The only disadvantage of timber snow fencing is its extreme vulnerability to fire."
- "Though scientists do not know how stress affects gestation, Fukuda theorizes that the vulnerability of Y-bearing sperm cells, male embryos and/or male fetuses to stress is why “subtle significant changes in sex ratios” occur."
- "Again, voice change is not easy and vulnerability plays a big part, but if choral teachers and adolescent singers approach it with the right mindframe, the experience can be empowering, enlightening, and restorative for all involved."
- "Near-synonyms: flaw, weakness, liability"
Etymology
From vulnerable + -ity.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌvʌln(ə)ɹəˈbɪləti/
- British English: /ˌvʌln(ə)ɹəˈbɪlɪti/