as in ordeal
a negative event or circumstance that is common to a particular setting or situation and is usually beyond one's control
The vicissitudes of medical school proved too much for the anxious student.
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Recent Examples of vicissitude
People who pay attention to the vicissitudes of Tesla CEO Elon Musk know that the man is not always serious on Twitter.
—
Aarian Marshall, Wired, 10 May 2020
The vicissitudes of history always challenge us in new and often confounding ways; that’s in the nature of things.
—Jon Meacham, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2020
All of the biggest corporate mergers, the deals that determine the vicissitudes of our global markets, happen within their walls.
—Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, 30 Mar. 2020
Sport is usually a constant -- a field, court, track or course that is resistant to the vicissitudes of the world around us.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 12 Mar. 2020
See All Example Sentences for vicissitude
Aarian Marshall, Wired, 10 May 2020
The vicissitudes of history always challenge us in new and often confounding ways; that’s in the nature of things.
—Jon Meacham, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2020
All of the biggest corporate mergers, the deals that determine the vicissitudes of our global markets, happen within their walls.
—Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, 30 Mar. 2020
Sport is usually a constant -- a field, court, track or course that is resistant to the vicissitudes of the world around us.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 12 Mar. 2020
See All Example Sentences for vicissitude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vicissitude
Noun
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What seemed to be several employees were recorded anxiously monitoring the ordeal.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Barnea worried that some of Israel’s best soldiers and spies would be killed or taken hostage, a nightmare for Israelis already deeply pained by the ordeal of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since the attack of Oct. 7, 2023.—
Yossi Melman,
ProPublica,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The event saw the former MVP coach and mentor service members in football drills such as the 40-yard dash, broad jump, three-cone shuttle, receiving gauntlet and the QB arm challenge.—
DJ Siddiqi,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
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Across one horrible, no good, very bad day, McClane crosses paths with shop owner Zeus Carver (Jackson), who's forced to join McClane for a gauntlet of mind-bending riddles and death-defying jaunts across the city.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
2 Aug. 2025
Noun
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As everyone knows, the best way to distract from your own sudden misfortune is to laugh at someone else’s.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
22 July 2025
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Not everyone agrees that the U.K. could benefit from trade misfortunes that befall the EU, whatever the outcome of last-ditch talks between Brussels and Washington.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
21 July 2025
Noun
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The policy, while inevitably controversial, was meant to correct for the nearly fifty years of brutal privations that Black South Africans endured under apartheid.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
1 June 2025
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But whereas the first generation of Chinese entrepreneurs grew up poor and were happy to wring a livelihood from cheap imitations, today’s tech graduates were spared the privations of their parents and yearn for something more meaningful.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vicissitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vicissitude. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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