Mr Smith is vulnerable to this kind of criticism.
Source: tatoeba (51547)
Vulnerable
/ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩/
Synonyms for "vulnerable" (108 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (22)
aidlessanswerable forapt toassailableattackablebeatablebreakablebrittlebrittle as glasscapable ofconquerablecrackablecrispcrispycrumblycrushable
Adjective(2 words)
Noun(2 words)
Verb(1 words)
Adjective(1 words)
Strong matches (32)
defenselessdelicatedependent onexposed toexpugnablefatherlessfissileflimsyfracturablefragilefrailfrangiblefriablefriendlessguidelesshelplesshumanin danger of
Adjective(13 words)
dissilientendangered cohortexploitableexposedfragilefragile ecosystemsfragile entityfragile habitatsfragile reef ecosystemfragile reefsfragilerfragilestfrailest
Adjective(1 words)
Related words (54)
incident toinsecurejealouslacerableleaderlessliableliable tolikely tomotherlessnaked toobliged toopen topenetrableperilouspregnableprone toready forresponsible forscissileshatterable
Show 14 more words
shatteryshiverysplinterystanding tosubject tosurmountablesusceptive totenderunfriendedunprotecteduntenablevincibleweakwithin range of
Adjective(14 words)
insecure algorithmkillablenonimmunesensitivesmall remnant populationsquashiestsufferablesusceptibletemptableundefendedunprotectedunprotected coastunprotected deviceunsecured
Adjective(5 words)
Noun(1 words)
structural vulnerability
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: aidless, answerable for, apt to, assailable, attackable.
- Sentence evidence is available for vulnerable, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, derived_reverse, wiktionary, opengloss, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "vulnerable".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "vulnerable"
Keep "vulnerable" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "vulnerable" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "vulnerable", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "vulnerable" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
5 entriesMore specific
7 entrieseconomic vulnerabilityemotional fragilityfraud vulnerabilitypeer pressure vulnerabilitypsychological fragilityscam vulnerabilitystructural vulnerability
Collocations
6 entriesemotionally vulnerablemost vulnerableremain vulnerablevulnerable groupvulnerable populationvulnerable to disease
Inflections
2 entriesmore vulnerablemost vulnerable
Derivations
2 entriesAntonyms
1 entriessimilar
21 entriesShowing 16 of 21 words.
Translations
73 translations across 51 languages.
Arabic
4 entries- ضَعِيْف adj (exposed to attack)
- عرضة adj (exposed to attack)
- عُرْضَة لِلْجَرْح adj (exposed to attack)
- هَشّ adj (exposed to attack)
Armenian
1 entries- խոցելի adj (exposed to attack)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- dişbatan adj (exposed to attack)
Basque
1 entries- zaurgarri adj (exposed to attack)
Belarusian
1 entries- уразлі́вы adj (exposed to attack)
Bulgarian
1 entries- уязви́м adj (exposed to attack)
Catalan
1 entries- vulnerable adj (exposed to attack)
Chinese Mandarin
4 entries- 弱勢的 /弱势的 adj (exposed to attack)
- 敏感的 adj (exposed to attack)
- 易損的 /易损的 adj (exposed to attack)
- 脆弱的 adj (exposed to attack)
Czech
1 entries- zranitelný adj (exposed to attack)
Danish
1 entries- sårbar adj (exposed to attack)
Dutch
1 entries- kwetsbaar adj (exposed to attack)
Esperanto
1 entries- vundebla adj (exposed to attack)
Faroese
1 entries- viðbrekin adj (exposed to attack)
Finnish
2 entries- haavoittuvainen adj (exposed to attack)
- herkkä adj (exposed to attack)
French
1 entries- vulnérable adj (exposed to attack)
Galician
1 entries- vulnerable adj (exposed to attack)
Georgian
2 entries- დაუცველი adj (exposed to attack)
- მოწყვლადი adj (exposed to attack)
German
3 entries- empfindlich adj (exposed to attack)
- verletzlich adj (exposed to attack)
- verwundbar adj (exposed to attack)
Greek
1 entries- ευάλωτος adj (exposed to attack)
Hebrew
1 entries- פגיע adj (exposed to attack)
Hindi
1 entries- असुरक्षित adj (exposed to attack)
Hungarian
4 entries- fenyegetett adj (exposed to attack)
- sebezhető adj (exposed to attack)
- sérülékeny adj (exposed to attack)
- támadható adj (exposed to attack)
Icelandic
2 entries- særanlegur adj (exposed to attack)
- viðkvæmur adj (exposed to attack)
Indonesian
1 entries- rentan adj (exposed to attack)
Irish
1 entries- soghonta adj (exposed to attack)
Italian
1 entries- vulnerabile adj (exposed to attack)
Japanese
3 entries- 傷つきやすい adj (exposed to attack)
- 弱い adj (exposed to attack)
- 脆い adj (exposed to attack)
Kazakh
1 entries- қорғансыз adj (exposed to attack)
Khmer
1 entries- ដែលងាយធ្វើអោយឈឺចាប់ adj (exposed to attack)
Korean
1 entries- 약한 adj (exposed to attack)
Latin
1 entries- forābilis adj (exposed to attack)
Lithuanian
1 entries- pažeidžiamas adj (exposed to attack)
Lower Sorbian
1 entries- zranjobny adj (exposed to attack)
Macedonian
1 entries- ра́нлив adj (exposed to attack)
Manx
1 entries- so-lhottey adj (exposed to attack)
Māori
1 entries- pānekeneke adj (exposed to attack)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- sårbar adj (exposed to attack)
Persian
1 entries- آسیبپذیر adj (exposed to attack)
Polish
2 entries- bezbronny adj (exposed to attack)
- wrażliwy adj (exposed to attack)
Portuguese
1 entries- vulnerável adj (exposed to attack)
Romanian
1 entries- vulnerabil adj (exposed to attack)
Russian
2 entries- рани́мый adj (exposed to attack)
- уязви́мый adj (exposed to attack)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- rànjiv adj (exposed to attack)
- рањив adj (exposed to attack)
Sicilian
1 entries- vurniràbbili adj (exposed to attack)
Slovak
1 entries- zraniteľný adj (exposed to attack)
Slovene
1 entries- ranljiv adj (exposed to attack)
Spanish
1 entries- vulnerable adj (exposed to attack)
Swedish
2 entries- sårbar adj (exposed to attack)
- utsatt adj (exposed to attack)
Thai
1 entries- เปราะบาง adj (exposed to attack)
Ukrainian
2 entries- ура́зливий adj (exposed to attack)
- уразли́вий adj (exposed to attack)
Vietnamese
1 entries- dễ tổn thương adj (exposed to attack)
Sample sentences
17 total sentences available.
The talented young chess player is very bold. He deliberately lays himself open to attack, makes himself vulnerable and then checkmates his opponent when least expected.
Source: tatoeba (67775)
UNESCO’s Language Vitality and Endangerment framework has established in 2010 six degrees of vitality: safe, vulnerable, definitely endangered, severely endangered, critically endangered and extinct.
Source: tatoeba (1448919)
The balance of nature is very vulnerable.
Source: tatoeba (1476063)
Showing 4 of 17 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "vulnerable"?
Closest matches include aidless, answerable for, apt to, assailable, attackable.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "vulnerable"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.