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Webster 1913 Edition


Vulnerable

Vul′ner-a-ble

,
Adj.
[L.
vulnerabilis
wounding, injurious, from
vulnerare
to wound,
vulnus
a wound; akin to Skr.
vra[GREEK]a
: cf. F.
vulnérable
.]
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.

Webster 1828 Edition


Vulnerable

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.

Definition 2024


vulnerable

vulnerable

See also: vulnérable

English

Adjective

vulnerable (comparative more vulnerable, superlative most vulnerable)

  1. More or most likely to be exposed to the chance of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
    • 2012 June 29, Kevin Mitchell, Roger Federer back from Wimbledon 2012 brink to beat Julien Benneteau”, in the Guardian:
      The elimination of Federer after Nadal's loss to Lukas Rosol would have created mild panic among the fans of these gloriously gifted but now clearly vulnerable geniuses.
    • 2013 July 19, Mark Tran, Denied an education by war”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 1:
      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. (computing) More likely to be exposed to malicious programs or viruses.
    a vulnerable PC with no antivirus software

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations


Galician

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Late Latin vulnerābilis, from Latin vulnerō (I wound).

Adjective

vulnerable m, f (plural vulnerables)

  1. vulnerable

Related terms


Spanish

Etymology

From Late Latin vulnerābilis, from Latin vulnerō (I wound).

Adjective

vulnerable m, f (plural vulnerables)

  1. vulnerable