Other forms: vulnerabilities
Vulnerability is the state of being easy to hurt. Emotional vulnerability, show vulnerability, a vulnerability in the system.
In psychology, showing vulnerability means letting people see what could hurt you, and it is treated as a strength rather than a weakness in most modern writing on relationships. In security, a vulnerability is a specific flaw an attacker could exploit, and disclosing one responsibly is a whole professional practice. Note vulnerable; and that the Latin means capable of being wounded.
1nounvulnerabilityThe state of being easy to hurt.
“After the accident, she was surprised by her own vulnerability.”
2nounflawA flaw an attacker could exploit.
“Hackers used a vulnerability in the software to steal customer data.”
vulnerability is a state of exposure.
Vulnerable plus -ity, from Latin vulnerare, to wound, from vulnus, a wound. The word means literally woundable.
Proto-Indo-European
*welh₃-
Latin
vulnerābilis — injurious, wounding
English
vulnerable
English, today
vulnerability
From vulnerable + -ity. vulnerable comes from Latin vulnerābilis (“injurious, wounding”), from Latin vulnerō (“to wound”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA