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
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
Mere knick-knacks, which have all disappeared with the vicissitudes of years.
—Adam Verner
september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vicissitude
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
Mere knick-knacks, which have all disappeared with the vicissitudes of years.
—Adam Verner
september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vicissitude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vicissitude
Noun
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Arrested during a heat wave The ordeal James went through occurred amid a 100-plus-degree heat wave.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
21 Apr. 2026
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What should have been a 30-minute, easy-breezy appointment turned into a two-hour ordeal.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Carriers that won’t sail past Iranian drones are certainly not going to run the gauntlet of the People’s Liberation Army.—
Eyck Freymann,
Time,
17 Apr. 2026
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And the Celtics could see a gauntlet of All-Star-level bigs in the coming weeks.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The latter faces more corruption up front, but both protagonists deal with their fair share of misfortune, growing up all too fast as a result.—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
15 Apr. 2026
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The Philadelphia singer-songwriter seeks out the mystical potential of quotidian misfortunes in a set of psychedelic-of-center bedroom pop songs.—
Lily Goldberg,
Pitchfork,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, the European settlers, underprepared for actual conditions in the region, suffered great privations, and only 1,500 remained by 1832.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
19 Mar. 2026
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The earthly experience of personal grief and privation that inspired such transcendent beauty is mind-bending in its own way.—
Eric Bulson,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vicissitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vicissitude. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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