vicissitude

noun vi·cis·si·tude \ və-ˈsi-sə-ˌtüd , vī- , -ˌtyüd \

|Updated on: 27 Jul 2018

Editor's Note: Changes and vicissitude

Definition of vicissitude

1 a : the quality or state of being changeable : mutability

b : natural change or mutation visible in nature or in human affairs

2 a : a favorable or unfavorable event or situation that occurs by chance : a fluctuation of state or condition

the vicissitudes of daily life

b : a difficulty or hardship attendant on a way of life, a career, or a course of action and usually beyond one's control

c : alternating change : succession

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Recent Examples of vicissitude from the Web

For decades, America’s satellites had circled Earth at a largely safe remove from the vicissitudes of geopolitics.

— garrett m. graff, WIRED, "The New Arms Race Threatening to Explode in Space," 26 June 2018
But the vicissitudes of nature paled next to another looming threat: the pressures of gentrification on an urban pocket where housing prices have increased more than 400 percent since 2000.

— kristin e. holmes, Philly.com, "As Philly neighborhoods gentrify, black churches lose their base and leave," 6 July 2018
The reasons amount to an obstacle course built from policy mistakes, economic vicissitudes, and prejudice.

— adam rogers, WIRED, "Big Tech Isn’t the Problem With Homelessness. It’s All of Us," 21 June 2018
Our server, clearly versed in the vicissitudes of dining with children, puts those orders in right away.

— kara baskin, BostonGlobe.com, "Quick Bite: At The Wellington in Belmont, a family-friendly night out," 21 June 2018
His reasoning, presumably: to sidestep economic discontent and the vicissitudes of the youth vote.

— elmira bayrasli, The New Republic, "The Coalition to Stop Erdogan," 20 June 2018
If the world has any chance of feeding the 10 billion people who soon will occupy it, such techniques to manage the vicissitudes of agriculture are essential.

— alan murray, Fortune, "China Surprise, EU Tariffs, Browder Arrest: CEO Daily for May 30, 2018," 30 May 2018
Four sisters and their mother battle life’s vicissitudes in Civil War-era America after their father leaves.

— rebecca angel baer, Southern Living, "What to Binge on Netflix With Mom This Weekend," 11 May 2018
The vicissitudes of the Middle East—not to mention American politics—have humbled wiser experts than us.

— daniel benaim, New Republic, "Trump’s Middle East Policy: The Good(ish), the Bad, and the Ugly," 19 Jan. 2018

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

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.