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.
Related Words
Relevance
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vicissitude
Noun
-
That’s why, in a sense, Mann views this whole ordeal as a blessing in disguise.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Told through empathetic interviews with his bandmates and family, Struebing’s ordeal becomes a tale of partial redemption and a lament about the failure of our justice system to meet the mental-health needs of people caught up in it.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
What would a maximum-difficulty gauntlet look like for this 2025 bracket?—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
-
With three of the next four opponents having offenses ranking in the bottom 10 in yards per game, the time is now for the Cowboys’ defense to figure out its issues before the gauntlet that awaits in November and December.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Amid the Mets' misfortunes, Michael Kay, a radio host and play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees, decided to weigh in.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Unimaginable misfortunes have the Ravens in this precarious situation, and certainly could continue.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
At seventy, Padura is a voice of a generation that endured a long war in Angola and the privations that followed the Soviet collapse.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Since 2022, Russia repeatedly urged China to act quickly to save its economy from inevitable privations stemming from the collapse of its Western market.—
Ariel Cohen,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vicissitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vicissitude. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share