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
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
During the past 20 years, the newsroom has been hit with pay cuts, layoffs and furloughs on an almost yearly basis as the company attempts to respond to both the economy and the vicissitudes of an industry in constant flux.
—John D'anna, azcentral, 19 May 2020
This last element—a form of legal financing called third-party litigation funding—proliferated during the 2008 recession, in part because lawsuits are somewhat insulated from the vicissitudes of the market.
—Francesca Mari, The Atlantic, 16 Apr. 2020
See All Example Sentences for vicissitude
Cite this Entry
“Vicissitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vicissitude. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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vicissitude
noun
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