vulnerable

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
15
Words With Friends
21
Letters
10
Pronunciation
/ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩/
See all 2 pronunciations
/ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩/ · /ˈvʌn(ə)ɹəbl̩/

Definition of vulnerable

4 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

adj

  1. More or most likely to be exposed to the chance of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
    “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. ‘Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,’ he told me, ‘just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.’”
    “The elimination of [Roger] Federer after [Rafael] Nadal's loss to Lukas Rosol would have created mild panic among the fans of these gloriously gifted but now clearly vulnerable geniuses.”
    “One particularly damaging, but often ignored, effect of conflict on education is the proliferation of attacks on schools[…]as children, teachers or school buildings become the targets of attacks. Parents fear sending their children to school. Girls are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence.”
    “You are vulnerable to be bullied by someone at school.”
See all 4 definitions

adj

  1. More or most likely to be exposed to the chance of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
    “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. ‘Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,’ he told me, ‘just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.’”
    “The elimination of [Roger] Federer after [Rafael] Nadal's loss to Lukas Rosol would have created mild panic among the fans of these gloriously gifted but now clearly vulnerable geniuses.”
    “One particularly damaging, but often ignored, effect of conflict on education is the proliferation of attacks on schools[…]as children, teachers or school buildings become the targets of attacks. Parents fear sending their children to school. Girls are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence.”
    “You are vulnerable to be bullied by someone at school.”
  2. More or most likely to be exposed to the chance of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
    “It's okay to get vulnerable every now and again.”
  3. More likely to be exposed to malicious programs or viruses.
    “a vulnerable PC with no antivirus software”
  4. at moderate risk of extinction though not quite endangered.
    “Welsh is merely a vulnerable language, but Irish and Scottish Gaelic are definitely endangered.”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

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

Words you can make from vulnerable

200+ playable · top: VERBENA (12 pts)

Best play verbena 12 points

8-letter words

1 word

7-letter words

12 words

6-letter words

28 words

5-letter words

52 words

4-letter words

77 words

3-letter words

29 words

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