Adjacent Words

Vulnerable definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

VULNERABLE, a.
1. That may be wounded; susceptible of wounds or external injuries; as a vulnerable body.
Achilles was vulnerable in his heel; and there will never be wanting a Paris to infix
the dart.
2. Liable to injury; subject to be affected injuriously; as a vulnerable reputation.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: susceptible to attack; "a vulnerable bridge" [ant: invulnerable]
2: susceptible to criticism or persuasion or temptation; "vulnerable to bribery"; "an argument vulnerable to refutation"
3: capable of being wounded or hurt; "vulnerable parts of the body"

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Late Latin vulnerabilis, from Latin vulnerare to wound, from vulner-, vulnus wound; probably akin to Latin vellere to pluck, Greek oul? wound Date: 1605 1. capable of being physically or emotionally wounded 2. open to attack or damage ; assailable <vulnerable to criticism> 3. liable to increased penalties but entitled to increased bonuses after winning a game in contract bridge • vulnerability noun • vulnerableness noun • vulnerably adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 that may be wounded or harmed. 2 (foll. by to) exposed to damage by a weapon, criticism, etc. 3 Bridge having won one game towards rubber and therefore liable to higher penalties. Derivatives: vulnerability n. vulnerableness n. vulnerably adv. Etymology: LL vulnerabilis f. L vulnerare to wound f. vulnus -eris wound

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Vulnerable Vul"ner*a*ble, a. [L. vulnerabilis wounding, injurious, from vulnerare to wound, vulnus a wound; akin to Skr. vra?a: cf. F. vuln['e]rable.] 1. Capable of being wounded; susceptible of wounds or external injuries; as, a vulnerable body. Achilles was vulnerable in his heel; and there will be wanting a Paris to infix the dart. --Dr. T. Dwight. 2. Liable to injury; subject to be affected injuriously; assailable; as, a vulnerable reputation. His skill in finding out the vulnerable parts of strong minds was consummate. --Macaulay.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. Someone who is vulnerable is weak and without protection, with the result that they are easily hurt physically or emotionally. Old people are particularly vulnerable members of our society. ADJ • vulnerability (vulnerabilities) David accepts his own vulnerability. N-VAR 2. If a person, animal, or plant is vulnerable to a disease, they are more likely to get it than other people, animals, or plants. People with high blood pressure are especially vulnerable to diabetes... = prone, susceptible ADJ: usu v-link ADJ to n • vulnerability Taking long-term courses of certain medicines may increase vulnerability to infection. 3. Something that is vulnerable can be easily harmed or affected by something bad. Their tanks would be vulnerable to attack from the air... Goodyear could be vulnerable in a prolonged economic slump. ADJ: oft ADJ to n • vulnerability ...anxieties about the country's vulnerability to invasion.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Capable of being wounded. 2. Assailable, liable to injury, weak.

Moby Thesaurus

aidless, answerable for, apt to, assailable, attackable, beatable, breakable, brittle, brittle as glass, capable of, conquerable, crackable, crisp, crispy, crumbly, crushable, defenseless, delicate, dependent on, exposed to, expugnable, fatherless, fissile, flimsy, fracturable, fragile, frail, frangible, friable, friendless, guideless, helpless, in danger of, incident to, lacerable, leaderless, liable to, likely to, motherless, naked to, obliged to, open to, penetrable, pregnable, prone to, ready for, responsible for, scissile, shatterable, shattery, shivery, splintery, standing to, subject to, surmountable, susceptive to, unfriended, unprotected, untenable, vincible, weak, within range of