vicarious

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adjective vi·car·i·ous \vī-ˈker-ē-əs, və-\

Definition of vicarious

1 : experienced or realized through imaginative or sympathetic participation in the experience of another a vicarious thrill
2a : serving instead of someone or something elseb : that has been delegated vicarious authority
3 : performed or suffered by one person as a substitute for another or to the benefit or advantage of another : substitutionary a vicarious sacrifice
4 : occurring in an unexpected or abnormal part of the body instead of the usual one vicarious menstruation manifested by bleeding from the nose

vicariously

adverb

vicariousness

noun

See vicarious defined for English-language learners

See vicarious defined for kids

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Examples of vicarious in a Sentence

I am a vicarious eater, often preferring a description of a meal to eating it. I hoard the Wednesday food section of the New York Times, savoring it as my late-night reading, finishing always with the restaurant review. —Anne-Marie Slaughter, Commonweal, 14 June 2002
Most people caged in the humdrum routines of modern life are eager for vicarious glimpses of pain, joy, and especially vitality. —Robert Jackall et al., Image Makers, 2000
There is an immense sub-middle class with enough money to preserve it from rancorous envy of the rich, but not enough to preserve it from boredom; it needs vicarious compensations and manages to find them in the gossip columns. —Aldous Huxley, The Olive Tree, 1937
To give himself the vicarious illusion of companionship, he fell back on letters. —Amy Lowell, John Keats, 1925
By means of ferocious jokes … he could vent his hatred of pioneer life and all its conditions, those conditions that were thwarting his creative life; he could, in this vicarious manner, appease the artist in him … —Van Wyck Brooks, The Ordeal of Mark Twain, 1920

Recent Examples of vicarious from the Web

The vicarious thrill of veering into the unreasonable, of making a scene.

— meaghan o'connell, Longreads, "Girl Wonder," 20 July 2017
Third, the right to bring a defamation case should be limited to the person who claims injury; suits should not be available to anyone who takes vicarious offence.

— The Economist, "Defamation laws are necessary. But they must be narrowly drawn," 13 July 2017
That’s great news for the debate club — and a vicarious thrill for Ned — in one literally-high-wire scene, but less good for the Washington Monument, among other large immovable objects.

— leah greenblatt, PEOPLE.com, "Spider-Man: Homecoming," 30 June 2017
Watching Antonio play for the Steelers gives Eddie a vicarious NFL experience, as their father-son relationship grows.

— clifton brown, Indianapolis Star, "Catching up with Indy's forgotten football star 'Touchdown' Eddie Brown," 29 June 2017
Ensuring that his account provides all the lush vistas and vicarious exhaustion expected in such a travelogue, Schrunk is less successful in making Rebecca Rusch's personal motives seem movie-worthy.

— john defore, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Blood Road': Film Review," 23 June 2017
To see them, get ye to the Satsuma Cafe at 3218 Dauphine St. Have the green eggs and ham sandwich, a glass of beet lemonade, and the vicarious rush of Martino's extra-legal exhibit.

— doug maccash, NOLA.com, "Trespassing translates into spectacular Batman-style photography," 22 June 2017
It might be best understood as vicarious experience.

— jerry useem, The Atlantic, "Power Causes Brain Damage," 18 June 2017
Chrissie Lightfoot, CEO of Robot Lawyer LISA and a leading figure in the robot law debate, sees vicarious responsibility as a huge issue.

— thomas page, CNN, "The inevitable rise of the robocops," 22 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vicarious.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

vicarious Has Latin Roots

If you act in someone’s stead, you take his or her place, at least temporarily. The oldest meaning of "vicarious," which was first recorded in 1637, is "serving in someone or something’s stead." The word vicarious derives from the Latin noun vicis, which means "change," "alternation," or "stead." "Vicis" is also the source of the English prefix vice- (as in "vice president"), meaning "one that takes the place of."

Origin and Etymology of vicarious

Latin vicarius, from vicis change, alternation, stead — more at week

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First Known Use: 1637

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VICARIOUS Defined for English Language Learners

vicarious

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adjective

Definition of vicarious for English Language Learners

: experienced or felt by watching, hearing about, or reading about someone else rather than by doing something yourself

VICARIOUS Defined for Kids

vicarious

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adjective vi·car·i·ous \vī-ˈker-ē-əs\

Definition of vicarious for Students

: sharing in someone else's experiences through the use of imagination or sympathetic feelings She got vicarious enjoyment from her sister's travels.

vicariously

adverb

vicariousness

noun

Medical Dictionary

vicarious

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adjective vi·car·i·ous \vī-ˈker-ē-əs, və-, -ˈkar-\

Medical Definition of vicarious

: occurring in an unexpected or abnormal part of the body instead of the usual one bleeding from the gums sometimes occurs in the absence of the normal discharge from the uterus in vicarious menstruation