vulnerable
adjective
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The History of Vulnerable
Superheroes are often depicted in comic books and movies as all-powerful, deflecting boulders and missiles in mid-air with a flick of the wrist, walking through walls, and having indestructible skeletons and whatnot. Fans know, however, that even the mightiest, meatiest protagonist is vulnerable to something, be it kryptonite or forgetting the whereabouts of one’s hammer. Vulnerable ultimately comes from the Latin noun vulnus, meaning “wound,” by way of the Late Latin adjective vulnerabilis, which English speakers adopted as vulnerable in the early 1600s. Vulnerable continues to carry its original meaning of “capable of being physically wounded,” but since the late 1600s it has also been used figuratively to suggest a defenselessness against non-physical attacks. In other words, someone (or something) can be vulnerable to criticism or failure as well as to literal wounding—even superheroes. So don’t go breaking their hearts, even if you can’t break their bones.
Synonyms
Examples of vulnerable in a Sentence
Gurufocus, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Clemson was particularly vulnerable on the ground this season, allowing 160.6 rushing yards per game (85th) and 4.7 yards per carry (99th).
—Grace Raynor, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
What the culture needs instead, Way suggested, is to teach the value of empathy, of being vulnerable, of being curious about other people.
—Matthew Schnipper, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2025
The proposal foregrounds the most vulnerable road users — 20 out of 32 people who died in 2024 were walking or biking, and two more were on electric scooters.
—Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 4 Jan. 2025
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Dictionary Entries Near vulnerable
Cite this Entry
“Vulnerable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vulnerable. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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vulnerable
adjective
Medical Definition
vulnerable
adjective
The Journal of the American Medical Association
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