vicissitude
noun
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Changes and Vicissitude
"Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better," wrote British theologian Richard Hooker in the 16th century. That observation may shed some light on vicissitude, a word that can refer simply to the fact of change, or to an instance of it, but that often refers specifically to hardship or difficulty brought about by change. To survive "the vicissitudes of life" is thus to survive life's ups and downs, with special emphasis on the downs. Vicissitude is a descendant of the Latin noun vicis, meaning "change" or "alternation," and it has been a part of the English language since the 16th century. In contemporary usage, it most often occurs in the plural.
Examples of vicissitude in a Sentence
Adam Verner
september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
But Hynes details life’s vicissitudes with poetic exactitude.
—Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
How should those future retirees be investing today to best weather the vicissitudes of tomorrow?
—Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2023
The vicissitudes of a placid adulthood: a dinner that tastes good, but not great; a film that entertains but doesn’t transport.
—Hazlitt, 4 May 2022
See All Example Sentences for vicissitude
Cite this Entry
“Vicissitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vicissitude. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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vicissitude
noun
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