vis-à-vis

1 of 3

preposition

ˈvēz-ə-ˈvē 

ˈvēs-,

also

-ä-ˈvē 

1

: in relation to

2

: as compared with

3

: face-to-face with

vis-à-vis

2 of 3

noun

plural vis-à-vis ˈvēz-ə-ˈvē(z) 

ˈvēs-,

-ä-

1

: one that is face-to-face with another

2

a

: escort, date

b

: counterpart

3

: tête-à-tête sense 1

vis-à-vis

3 of 3

adverb

: in company : together

Did you know?

Vis-à-vis comes from Latin by way of French, where it means literally "face-to-face." In English it was first used to refer to a little horse-drawn carriage in which two people sat opposite each other. From there it acquired various other meanings, such as "dancing partner." Today it no longer refers to actual physical faces and bodies, but its modern meaning comes from the fact that things that are face-to-face can easily be compared or contrasted. So, for example, a greyhound is very tall vis-à-vis a Scottie, and one currency may be stronger vis-à-vis another.

Examples of vis-à-vis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Preposition

What did this say about the royals and their control of social media vis-a-vis tabloid news, one New York Times columnist asked, while another saw a double standard between the treatment of Middleton and her sister-in-law, Meghan Markle. —Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2024

Glazer has clearly failed to measure this responsibility, including vis-a-vis the destruction of the European Jews. —Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 13 Mar. 2024

This variant may be responsible for the elevated kidney failure rates of African Americans vis-a-vis other populations. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019

The structure of corporate governance, which includes the makeup and authority of boards of directors vis-a-vis managements, has a fundamental impact on how a company is operated. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023

This post was edited to clarify the timing of CHU's time signal broadcast, vis-a-vis World War II, and the phrasing of the time signal anecdote at the beginning (which has changed over the years, vis-a-vis the placement of silence). —Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 16 Oct. 2023

But in trying to shore up its security vis-a-vis Azerbaijan, Armenia has inadvertently delivered a stinging snub to Russia. —Christian Edwards, CNN, 17 Sep. 2023

But car safety experts recommend postponing the big turnaround until your child is as close to 4 as possible, when his bones are more formed and his head is more proportionate vis-a-vis the rest of his body. —Jennifer Brookland, Detroit Free Press, 3 Aug. 2023

That trap was designed to kill everyone vis-a-vis a horde of zombies. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 17 July 2023

Word History

Etymology

Preposition

French, literally, face-to-face

First Known Use

Preposition

1755, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Noun

circa 1757, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1760, in the meaning defined above