vulnerable to pressure

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "vulnerable to pressure" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe someone or something that is susceptible to being influenced or affected by external stress or demands. Example: "In high-stakes situations, some individuals may feel vulnerable to pressure and struggle to perform at their best."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Encyclopedias

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

48 human-written examples

Amazon's inconsistency has made it more vulnerable to pressure.

The Guardian - Opinion

Suspects who are young or mentally ill are particularly vulnerable to pressure.

The New York Times

This season, St . Louiswas supposed to be vulnerable to pressure.

The New York Times - Sports

Certainly, the Italian press is the most vulnerable to pressure from Berlusconi.

The Guardian - Opinion

The protesters say the agreement would leave Taiwan vulnerable to pressure from Beijing.

The Economist

Weakened, the Sāmānids became vulnerable to pressure from the rising Turkish powers in Central Asia and Afghanistan.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

9 human-written examples

And there is plenty of suspicion that it is vulnerable to pressures.

The New York Times

Dame Jessica Corner, chair of the Council of Deans of Health, last month criticised the existing system of funding nurses as "fragile and vulnerable" to pressures affecting the NHS.

The Guardian

ALISSA QUART, author of "Branded: The Buying and Selling of Teenagers," says the children of affluent parents may be the most vulnerable to pressures to define themselves by the things they own.

The New York Times

The club-of-autocrats approach, exemplified by China's see-no-evil relations with Myanmar and Sudan, is ineffective and may be vulnerable to pressures from today's interconnected world (Olympic boycott, anyone?).

The Economist

Many of the largest American companies are now so dependent on their overseas operations, and thus so vulnerable to pressures by foreign governments, that they have become outright Trojan horses with respect to American trade policy.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use this phrase to describe entities—such as governments, economies, or individual psychology—that lack the autonomy or defensive mechanisms to resist external demands. It is particularly effective in geopolitical analysis and psychological reports.

Common error

Do not use "vulnerable for pressure" or "vulnerable against pressure". The adjective "vulnerable" almost exclusively pairs with the preposition "to" when indicating the source of the threat or influence.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "vulnerable to pressure" serves as an adjective phrase where the head adjective "vulnerable" is modified by a prepositional phrase acting as a complement. According to Ludwig, it is frequently used to attribute a specific state of weakness to a subject, often within complex sentences discussing power dynamics or biological integrity.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Science

20%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

3%

Encyclopedias

1%

Social Media

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "vulnerable to pressure" is a robust and widely accepted phrase in formal English. Ludwig AI identifies over 48 exact matches from premier sources, confirming its reliability for writers. It effectively bridges the gap between psychological vulnerability—such as suspects prone to false confessions—and geopolitical vulnerability, such as small economies affected by global trade shifts. To maintain professional tone and accuracy, writers should always pair "vulnerable" with the preposition "to" and reserve the phrase for contexts involving clear external influence or stress.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

susceptible to influence

Focuses on being shaped or guided by external forces rather than just being squeezed by them.

vulnerable to stress

Shifts the focus from external social/political demands to physical or internal psychological strain.

prone to coercion

Suggests a more forceful, often unethical or illegal, type of external demand.

exposed to coercion

Emphasizes the lack of protection or barriers against forceful external tactics.

sensitive to demands

A softer alternative that implies a reaction to requirements without necessarily suggesting total weakness.

open to manipulation

Emphasizes being handled unfairly or tricked through external influence.

easily swayed

A more informal expression focusing on changing one's opinion or decision under social weight.

subject to intimidation

Specifies fear as the primary mechanism of the external pressure being applied.

liable to buckle

Uses a structural metaphor to describe a failure to withstand external weight or expectations.

weak against persuasion

Focuses specifically on the logic or rhetoric used by others to change a person's mind.

FAQs

How to use "vulnerable to pressure" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe susceptibility, for example: "Smaller nations are often more "vulnerable to pressure" from global superpowers during trade negotiations."

What can I say instead of "vulnerable to pressure"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "susceptible to influence", "prone to coercion", or "exposed to demands".

Which is correct, "vulnerable to pressure" or "vulnerable for pressure"?

""vulnerable to pressure"" is the correct idiomatic form; using "for" is considered a grammatical error in this context.

What is the difference between "vulnerable to pressure" and "susceptible to stress"?

While both describe a lack of resilience, ""vulnerable to pressure"" often implies social, political, or physical force, whereas "susceptible to stress" typically refers to psychological or internal physiological strain.