vulnerablevul‧ne‧ra‧ble /ˈvʌlnərəbəl/ ●●○ W3 adjective 
Word Origin
He took advantage of me when I was at my most vulnerable. We work mainly with the elderly and other vulnerable groups.be vulnerable to something Children are most vulnerable to abuse within their own home.2a place, thing, or idea that is vulnerable is easy to attack or criticize OPP invulnerablevulnerable to The fort was vulnerable to attack from the north. Their theories were badly thought out and very vulnerable to ridicule.—vulnerably adverb—vulnerability /ˌvʌlnərəˈbɪləti/ noun [uncountable]
Word OriginWORD ORIGINvulnerable
ExamplesOrigin:
1600-1700 Late Latin vulnerabilis, from Latin vulnus ‘wound’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- a small vulnerable child in need of protection
- Ground floor windows are particularly vulnerable and secure locks should be fitted.
- His victims are vulnerable young women.
- I've been feeling very vulnerable since we broke up.
- The bridge is extremely vulnerable.
- The tanks' positions made them vulnerable to enemy gunfire.
- The virus leaves sufferers vulnerable to a range of infections.
- Wild animals are at their most vulnerable when they are asleep.
- But although the more vulnerable of the two, Eleanor may be the more complex.
- His victims are vulnerable women whom he can control.
- I was vulnerable to everyone and everything.
- The most vulnerable person here is your 15-year-old son.
- The Western hemisphere would soon be in range of and vulnerable to Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles, carrying megaton warheads.
- We're vulnerable to another takeover bid, especially if there's another recession.
Longman Language Activatoreasy to attack► vulnerable
Collocations easy to attack, damage, or enter by force: · His victims are vulnerable young women. · Ground floor windows are particularly vulnerable and secure locks should be fitted.vulnerable to: · The tanks' positions made them vulnerable to enemy gunfire.
► sitting duck someone who is very easy to attack because they cannot move or they can only move very slowly: · The troops in their bunkers were sitting ducks for enemy missiles.· We were like sitting ducks, our only defense a small shed surrounded by a few concrete blocks.
► be an easy target to be very easy to see or find and therefore easy to attack: · I knew that in our current position, we were an all-too-easy target for thieves and bandits.make an easy target: · Women living alone make easy targets for robbers.
easy to attack or harm► vulnerable someone who is vulnerable can easily be harmed or attacked: · a small vulnerable child in need of protection· Wild animals are at their most vulnerable when they are asleep.vulnerable to: · The virus leaves sufferers vulnerable to a range of infections.
► defenceless British /defenseless American not strong enough or not able to protect yourself against an attack: · No one is doing anything to help these poor defenceless children.· While the mother bird searches for food she has to leave her chicks alone and defenseless in the nest.defenceless against: · He closed the door behind him, leaving her cruelly defenceless against his bitter attack.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► a vulnerable position
1someone who is vulnerable can be easily harmed or hurt OPP invulnerable: (=a situation in which you might be harmed)· Today we are in the vulnerable position of producing barely half our own food.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► also· The vines are greedy - hardy, and they push deep roots down into the soil, but they are also vulnerable.· BBut Republicans are also vulnerable on the foreign-money issue.· Strategic planning is also vulnerable to sudden changes in the business environment.· They are also vulnerable to the stresses and strains of a larger cosmic struggle and can become casualties in the process.· The official reserve itself is also vulnerable to changes in exchange rate, which compounds the problem of ensuring adequate reserves.· Worried and preoccupied people are also vulnerable to accidents, perhaps especially on the roads either as drivers or pedestrians.
► as· There was just a trembling being as vulnerable as any other woman, a being who had craved much, much more.· She figured the guys could see for themselves then that he could be as vulnerable as the next man.· The Royal Family is showing itself to be just as vulnerable to social change as the rest of us.· Suddenly, it is seen as vulnerable.· So that old kungfu contradiction appears yet again: by doubling his striking power the practitioner makes himself twice as vulnerable.· Companies that were seen as vulnerable to a Labour victory led share prices upwards.· She feels as insignificant as the worms that burrow beneath the sand and as vulnerable.· The most recently adopted scheme, the 1990 Budget Enforcement Act, had proved as vulnerable to evasion as its predecessors.
► equally· Its similar policy made it equally vulnerable to the change in New Zealand policy.· Cereal and root crops are equally vulnerable to rabbit damage.
► especially· Untenured and part-time instructors are especially vulnerable, because low evaluation scores can threaten their jobs.· Servers are especially vulnerable to service overloading.· Secluded rear doors are especially vulnerable: they are often forced open with a simple well-aimed kick.· The research is especially vulnerable if the data are collected from personal interviews.· This makes the sperm, like all rapidly developing cells, especially vulnerable to damage from chemicals or radiation.· Nuclear power stations are especially vulnerable to this kind of drift, which can damage piping.· Pensions are essentially low incomes and low incomes are especially vulnerable to the effects of inflation.· Enrolled or second-level nurses are especially vulnerable when attempting to convert to first-level registration.
► extremely· She believed the department had left itself extremely vulnerable in acting without any form of approval by the committee.· It must be real or it damages the process and a person in the extremely vulnerable Dying Time.· She felt absolutely helpless and extremely vulnerable standing completely unclothed under his watchful eyes.· The immune system withers under the viral attack, leaving the body extremely vulnerable to other painful and life-threatening diseases.· The other crab, rather than being left homeless and therefore extremely vulnerable to predators, instantly jumped into the broken shell.· She felt extremely vulnerable at the side of this powerful man.· And once in range, without hands to protect yourself, you are extremely vulnerable.· As I said, whoever has grabbed you is extremely vulnerable.
► highly· But that is a highly vulnerable position for any politician to take-and I doubt if it offers the whole answer.· All season these Bruins have been intensely competitive and highly vulnerable.· First, this phase - though valuable - is obviously highly vulnerable.· But this ideological construction is highly vulnerable, one might even say feeble.· This left them highly vulnerable to harvest failures such as those of 1891 and 1901.· She was highly vulnerable to sharp downturns in the economy and from 1900 to 1903 suffered particularly severely from an international depression.· Older workers were a highly vulnerable section of the work-force, and could offer little resistance to wage cuts.· He then picked it up delicately between thumb and forefinger, as if he held something highly vulnerable in tweezers.
► how· Have you no sense at all, can't you see how vulnerable you were, out in that street all by yourself?· But this big loss to Vanderbilt shows her just how vulnerable the team is.· He knew how vulnerable people's heads were, and how important his own was.· This shows how vulnerable its success still was.· I could remember only how vulnerable People were, the females in particular.· I began to see how vulnerable I was, and how visible, and it sobered me.· Those few moments in his embrace had shown her all too clearly just how vulnerable she was where he was concerned.· She could feel tears stinging the back of her eyes, but she would not let him see how vulnerable she was.
► increasingly· The wave of defections, however, which political analysts expect to continue this week, has left Mr Estrada increasingly vulnerable.· Today, managerial and professional workers have become increasingly vulnerable.· Police on the beat are feeling increasingly vulnerable.· In fact, with their economic and technological dependencies intact, the work was increasingly vulnerable to the crisis.
► less· The mooring is more stable and less vulnerable to weather than that at Dunbar.· Quinn decided he would be less vulnerable in another spot and removed himself to the waiting room.· Elves are long-lived, some say immortal, and less vulnerable to disease than humans.· Elers said the combined company will be less vulnerable to such problems, because its supply will be more diversified.· Roy Jenkins, an extremely sensible man who is less vulnerable to criticism than most, regarded the matter with mild amusement.· This makes their prices less vulnerable to sudden drops.· Johnson maintains that men are less vulnerable than women to reproductive damage.· You are less vulnerable in a culture characterized by struggle, hostility, and competition.
► more· This is largely because of faster construction and very competitive pricing which have made contractors more vulnerable to the financial effects of disruption.· However, he said that the punitive award to the estate of Nicole Brown Simpson might be more vulnerable.· To a greater or less extent this applies to all our sea-birds, but some are more vulnerable than others.· It states that the more involved and intense a relationship becomes, the more vulnerable you are when things go wrong.· They also leave them more vulnerable to losing their insurance.· They tend to feel more vulnerable, so they get close to the ground.· The extremist characterization frightened away mainstream civil rights organizations, which made Hampton even more vulnerable to attack.· He felt more vulnerable outside, running around with the other kids, with only one adult watching from the sidelines.
► most· The most vulnerable cells were those which the body renews most frequently; especially the white blood cells, including the lymphocytes.· The cutting off of oil supplies hit the Navy at its most vulnerable spot.· And the most distinctive languages are often the most vulnerable - those of native peoples.· She always treated him this way, even when he was most vulnerable, told him exactly what she thought.· The most vulnerable areas of working time for me are those of contact with pupils and curriculum development.· It was in the locker room that he felt most vulnerable to the aggressive behavior of the other early adolescent boys.· To do so would run the risk of compromising the most vulnerable part of the operation.· Police say the bandits stalk their prey carefully, finding out who is most vulnerable.
► particularly· The building trade alone, which is particularly vulnerable to paramilitary intimidation, loses millions of pounds a year.· When you are first struggling to make your business a success, you are particularly vulnerable.· Amphibians are particularly vulnerable to hot and dry conditions because their skins are so delicate and permeable to water.· The automaker was particularly vulnerable because it keeps only a short supply of extra parts to save costs.· Books, newspapers and magazines look particularly vulnerable.· Coastal geographic states, such as Florida, would be particularly vulnerable to ice cap melting associated with such an increase.· Lettuce and spinach are particularly vulnerable to nitrogen uptake.· None of those options would exist in the adult prison system, and he would be particularly vulnerable to brutalisation.
► so· So strange to find himself so vulnerable.· Economies are no longer so vulnerable.· We depend upon it completely ... and our dependence makes us so vulnerable to its dark side.· They were so innocent, so vulnerable, so eager to behave decently.· The government looked so vulnerable that even irreproachable traditionalists among the landowning nobility concluded that political reform was inescapable.· How could a man in his position take advantage of so vulnerable a creature as Melanie Gandell?· The backs of their necks are so vulnerable, she thought.· Labour soon regained its lead in the polls, but was clearly shaken to discover that it could be so vulnerable.
► too· A virtue which, I realize, makes me too vulnerable, but I am not going to discard it now.· It is untested, too risky and too vulnerable to disastrous financial consequences.· It is all too vulnerable to change.· Several women felt too vulnerable or exposed to remain; another left dramatically, announcing that her anger would destroy the group.· She felt too vulnerable, sitting here naked in bed.
► very· She felt very vulnerable and awkward as she followed him into the room.· Often, this left them in very vulnerable positions militarily, and yet we do not find any walls or fortifications.· The turmoil brought about by our wants can make us very vulnerable and afraid.· I think you grow out of it a little bit, but initially you are very vulnerable.· You are very vulnerable while you are standing fumbling in your handbag or pockets.· But it is also very vulnerable now that we understand it.· Britain is very vulnerable to these currency movements because we are a medium-sized economy heavily dependent on imports and exports.· This tiny camp in the wilderness looked very lonely, very vulnerable to the forces of nature ranged silently around it.
NOUN► area· And most of them will live in the most vulnerable areas of the developing world: cities.· The most vulnerable areas of working time for me are those of contact with pupils and curriculum development.· Instead, they would have had the opportunity to work on their more vulnerable areas as they were growing up.· This limit is to be obligatory in vulnerable areas which are to be designated over the next two years.· Unfortunately, latex is not suitable for borders since it dries too quickly and is not durable for exposed and vulnerable areas.· In the more vulnerable areas there was serious depopulation as villages were abandoned.
► child· These are our most vulnerable children, and they deserve our best support and protection.· We should not just trust people to get on with the task of caring for vulnerable children.
► group· These research subjects are presumed to be ignorant and vulnerable groups in society and almost always include students.· The other particularly vulnerable group are women.· Finally, certain vulnerable groups were most affected by these changes, notably black families living in inner city deprived areas.· Those over 70 and certain other vulnerable groups are entitled to receive advice and assistance connected with wills.· Children represent the most vulnerable group in residential areas, whether on foot or as cyclists.· One such vulnerable group is women.· It is however essential for the drinks industry to ensure that its advertising campaigns do not target vulnerable groups such as young people.· Social workers must recognise, therefore, that in racist societies they are working with a potentially vulnerable group.
► member· Those likely to suffer most from this loss of collaborative endeavour will be the most vulnerable members of the community.· Public aid to the needy and even public sanitation tended to perpetuate the more vulnerable members of the race.
► people· As more and more frauds emerge it becomes apparent that conmen are trying to dupe vulnerable people.· They are the most vulnerable people.· We might deplore that, but it shows that the national minimum wage has harmed the most vulnerable people in that society.· Miss Scott and her father are now being cared for by Newcastle social services in a home for vulnerable people.· From today, the way we look after elderly, disabled and vulnerable people undergoes a major change.· Staff say many vulnerable people have no option but to sleep on the streets.· This idea potentially oversimplifies the actual process of offering vulnerable people choices which might result in their leading fuller lives.
► position· But that is a highly vulnerable position for any politician to take-and I doubt if it offers the whole answer.· Often, this left them in very vulnerable positions militarily, and yet we do not find any walls or fortifications.· At a consultation you're not in the vulnerable position that you are in a hairdresser's chair.· A defeat means fifth place and a vulnerable position.· I don't very often feel frightened, but then I don't often put myself in that vulnerable position.· And you are really in a vulnerable position, since over 50 percent of your financing is federal funding.· The Armagnacs were in a particularly vulnerable position as a result of the geographical location of their lands.· People are really in a vulnerable position.
He took advantage of me when I was at my most vulnerable. We work mainly with the elderly and other vulnerable groups.be vulnerable to something Children are most vulnerable to abuse within their own home.2a place, thing, or idea that is vulnerable is easy to attack or criticize OPP invulnerablevulnerable to The fort was vulnerable to attack from the north. Their theories were badly thought out and very vulnerable to ridicule.—vulnerably adverb—vulnerability /ˌvʌlnərəˈbɪləti/ noun [uncountable]