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vi·car·i·ous | \ vī-ˈker-ē-əs 
, və- \
, 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 else
b : 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
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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
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Recent Examples on the Web Her travels are bold and sociable, and our vicarious pleasure.
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Mark Kramer, Star Tribune, "Review: 'The Lost Pianos of Siberia,' by Sophy Roberts," 31 July 2020 Storytelling perhaps becomes a vicarious substitute for adventure.
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Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books, "The Novels of Tension Between Freedom and Disaster," 10 July 2020 Daly’s new lawsuit alleges some sort of conspiracy to commit fraud and vicarious liability on the part of Emmis.
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Akeem Glaspie, The Indianapolis Star, "Derek Daly files lawsuit against Bob Lamey, Colts and Emmis over racial slur," 21 May 2020 Crisis centers usually have regular team meetings to prevent vicarious trauma.
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Sidney Fussell, Wired, "The Pandemic Creates New Challenges for Crisis Counselors," 28 Apr. 2020 The Netflix docuseries, which gives housebound viewers vicarious access to the emotions and activities of pre-quarantine days, is the breakout genre of 2020.
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The New Yorker, "New Yorker Crossword Constructors on the Best Games to Play While Social Distancing," 22 Apr. 2020 Wagner added, noting that vicarious liability is tremendous.
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Kerry Picket, Washington Examiner, "Businesses face legal obstacles following reopening of economy," 14 Apr. 2020 Find your vicarious natural experience: Take a virtual tour of a national park, like Yellowstone.
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Eva Botkin-kowacki, The Christian Science Monitor, "Nature is a balm. Even when you can’t leave home.," 10 Apr. 2020 Day 3:Start the day with a vicarious adrenaline rush some 18 miles north at Skookumchuk Narrows Provincial Park in Egmont.
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Terry Ward, Condé Nast Traveler, "A British Columbia Road Trip With Forest Views and Craft Brews," 26 Feb. 2020
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for vicarious
vicarious
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of vicarious
: experienced or felt by watching, hearing about, or reading about someone else rather than by doing something yourself
See the full definition for vicarious in the English Language Learners Dictionary
vicarious
adjectivevi·car·i·ous | \ vī-ˈker-ē-əs \
\Kids Definition of vicarious
: sharing in someone else's experiences through the use of imagination or sympathetic feelings
She got vicarious enjoyment from her sister's travels.
vicarious
adjectivevi·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
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vicarious
adjectivevi·car·i·ous | \ vī-ˈkar-ē-əs \
\Legal Definition of vicarious
: imposed on one person in place of another — see also vicarious liability at liability sense 2b
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Time Traveler for vicarious
The first known use of vicarious was in 1637
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