vulnerable to fortune

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "vulnerable to fortune" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when discussing situations or individuals that are susceptible to chance or luck. Example: "The team's success was vulnerable to fortune, relying heavily on the outcome of the final match." Alternative expressions include "subject to chance" and "at the mercy of fate."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Encyclopedias

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

The coalition includes a dozen organizations with distinct constituencies – from vulnerable students to Fortune 500 companies to state and local governments.

Stanford University

In the fallout, the United States maintained limits on unemployment benefits, leaving American workers vulnerable to plummeting fortunes.

The New York Times

That helped lower the government's borrowing costs but also made Spanish banks vulnerable to the fortunes of their hard-pressed government.

The New York Times

The drop showed that Scient, based in San Francisco, and its competitors were vulnerable to the shifting fortunes of their dot-com clients.

The New York Times

In many ways, it has done well to diversify, but it is a precarious existence, vulnerable to the changing fortunes of global fashion and finance.

BBC

Thus, similar to Maasai pastoralists, Northern Indigenous peoples are vulnerable to the whims and fortunes of funders, and associated political positioning inherent to that context.

Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice

They sold Franco-Nevada Mining for shares of Newmont Mining, which is largely unhedged and thus vulnerable to the metal's fortunes.

Forbes

In the essay, Minsky posited that, "Telepresence offers a freer market for human skills, rendering each worker less vulnerable to the moods and fortunes of one employer".

TechCrunch

In the essay, Minsky posited that, "Telepresence offers a freer market for human skills, rendering each worker less vulnerable to the moods and fortunes of one employer". What a prescient insight into the rise of remote and distributed teams so many organizations use today.

TechCrunch

The region is vulnerable to these global economic fortunes and the landscape of local communities are influenced as much by the planning decisions of Big Business as they are by local planners and policy makers.

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

Transportation stocks, vulnerable to the nation's economic fortunes, ranked among the worst performers a day after the railroad company Norfolk Southern said its earnings would fall short of expectations.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Maintain the singular form of 'fortune' to refer to the abstract concept of luck or destiny, but use the plural 'fortunes' when referring to specific financial or political success of a group.

Common error

Do not use ""vulnerable to fortune"" to describe simple daily inconveniences like missing a bus. It carries a weighty, often philosophical or structural connotation that is best reserved for significant life events or institutional risks. Using it for trivial matters can come across as overly dramatic or pretentious.

Linguistic Context

In a sentence, ""vulnerable to fortune"" functions as an adjective phrase that modifies a noun or pronoun. According to Ludwig AI, it typically appears as a predicative adjective following a linking verb (e.g., "The plan is vulnerable...") or as a post-positive modifier. It serves to establish a relationship of dependency between a subject and the unpredictable nature of external events.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Science

15%

Formal & Business

12%

Less common in

Academia

5%

Encyclopedias

2%

Wiki

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, ""vulnerable to fortune"" is a versatile and grammatically correct expression used to describe a state of being at the mercy of unpredictable external forces. Ludwig AI confirms its widespread use in prestige journalism, particularly when discussing the sensitivity of economies, organizations or individuals to shifting circumstances. Whether used literally to describe a dependency on luck or as a variation of the idiom "hostages to fortune", it remains a powerful tool for writers to convey risk and fragility. It is most effective in formal or semi-formal contexts where the nuances of chance and destiny are being analyzed.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

at the mercy of fate

Emphasizes a total lack of control over the outcome

subject to chance

Uses more clinical, objective language to describe susceptibility

hostage to fortune

A classic idiomatic variation that implies one's commitments increase their risk

at the mercy of chance

Focuses on randomness rather than a predestined fate

exposed to uncertainty

Common in business contexts to describe risk exposure

susceptible to luck

Uses a more common adjective for physical or emotional sensitivity

at the whim of destiny

Adds a more poetic or dramatic tone to the sentiment

dependent on providence

Carries a slightly archaic or religious connotation of divine timing

prone to fluctuations

Describes a pattern of change rather than a single fateful event

beholden to fate

Suggests a sense of duty or inevitable connection to one's lot in life

FAQs

Is "vulnerable to fortune" a common expression?

Yes, while slightly more formal than daily speech, it is frequently used in high-level journalism and literature. You can often see similar expressions like "hostages to fortune" used to describe the risks of making long-term commitments.

Can I use "vulnerable to fortune" in a business report?

Certainly. It is an effective way to describe how a company's success is "subject to market fluctuations" or external events beyond its control.

What is the difference between "fortune" and "fortunes" in this phrase?

The singular 'fortune' usually refers to the abstract force of luck or destiny, as seen in the works of Machiavelli. Using 'fortunes' in the plural, as in "vulnerable to the shifting fortunes", usually refers to specific wealth or success levels of a particular entity.

What is a more casual way to say "vulnerable to fortune"?

In everyday conversation, you might simply say someone is "at the mercy of luck" or "dependent on chance".