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
  • As far as Davis was told, once the ordeal was handled, the player simply asked for a different helmet and returned to practice.
    — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Nobody was injured during the snake sighting and rescue, the NYPD said in a statement, though the ordeal did leave some Upper West Side residents a bit shaken.
    — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of ordeal
Noun
  • Perhaps in writing it, Salinger was trying to negotiate whether his remarkable survival through some of the war’s worst gauntlets could be chalked up to dumb luck, or divine intervention.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
  • People committing crimes may now run a surveillance gauntlet to and from the scene, leaving a digital trail that can identify them much like fingerprints.
    — Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of gauntlet
Noun
  • But the fire this time was started by a son, which led to raging misfortunes that consumed his three brothers one by one, leaving only ashen memories for his surviving sister and aged parents to sift through.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
  • He was criticized for outing LGBTQ+ stars who hadn’t revealed their sexuality publicly, and for bullying others by mocking their misfortune.
    — Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 6 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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“Vicissitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vicissitude. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on vicissitude

Nglish: Translation of vicissitude for Spanish Speakers

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