vicissitude

noun

Definition of vicissitudenext
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of vicissitude Their vicissitudes are both timely and for all time. — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Dec. 2025 Whatever its reputation, the OIGC is still subject to the vicissitudes of other arts organizations. — Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 1 Dec. 2025 By using non-actors who have endured the vicissitudes of the world, Laxe didn’t have to develop the characters in a conventional way. — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 12 Nov. 2025 Renaissance has prided itself on a debt-free history, despite the vicissitudes of performing arts fundraising. — Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 24 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for vicissitude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vicissitude
  1. ordeal
  2. gauntlet
  3. misfortune
  4. privation
Noun
  • Philipps has come out of the six-month ordeal feeling nothing but gratitude.
    — Meg Walters, InStyle, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Within a week, Cano was in Wilson’s office, describing her ordeal.
    — Jason Liebowitz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of ordeal
Noun
  • But before Bane can finish him off, Batman stabs a Batarang into a little knob on Bane’s wrist gauntlet, the one that controls his intake of Venom.
    — Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Ole Miss has to get through the SEC gauntlet of LSU, Florida and Vanderbilt before hosting the Tigers.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of gauntlet
Noun
  • Poliński said Zosia would likely have been blamed for misfortunes such as disease and famine that often plagued the region in the 17th century, which people sometimes attributed to supernatural activity by the dead.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • And Smith has endured plenty of misfortune on the road while getting walked off in four ballparks this season.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of misfortune
Noun
  • These adjustments add to the fact that while blockades can impose privation, modern governments and their nationalist populations can accept a lot of suffering before considering major political concessions.
    — Eugene Gholz, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Yamal has spoken about being recognised on the street at 13, the privations of fame accrued before puberty.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 18 July 2026
Definition of privation

Browse Nearby Words

viciousness
vicissitude
vicissitudes
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Cite this Entry

“Vicissitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vicissitude. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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