(someone) is vulnerable

Being "vulnerable" means being weak or easy to attack.

You can use "vulnerable" to talk about an army's situation in a war:

The Empire waited to strike until the Rebellion was vulnerable.

You can also use it to talk about diseases:

When you don't get proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise, you're more vulnerable to infectious diseases.

A person can be emotionally vulnerable as well. That means that they are easily upset or saddened:

She's really vulnerable right now after their breakup.

This phrase appears in these lessons: