defenselessness

noun

as in vulnerability
the quality or state of having little resistance to some outside agent our utter defenselessness against the rising floodwaters quickly became apparent

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defenselessness The fragile defenselessness of the proud has proven mesmerizing. — Lo Patrick, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defenselessness
vulnerability
Noun
  • The continued hostilities have heightened concerns about the vulnerability of Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure, with traders increasingly focused on the risk of a major disruption to production, refining or export facilities.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The next question is how widely medicine can put that vulnerability to work in individual cases.
    — Mike McRae October 25, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of vulnerability

Browse Nearby Words

defenseless
defenselessness
defenses
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Defenselessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defenselessness. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All