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
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
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This revelation — along with the realization that Cahir shares his prophetic dreams about Ciri — is enough to move even Geralt’s icy heart, which is no small thing, since witchers are put through an ordeal specifically designed to suppress their emotions.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
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In what turned out to be a grueling monthslong ordeal, Kowalski's family alleged, she was handed over to state custody — and the hospital eventually barred Beata from contacting her daughter.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Then they're run a gantlet of exams and years of training, amid constant scrutiny and with patients' lives on the line.—
Charlotte Huff,
NPR,
28 Oct. 2025
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Fans of 29 other teams wouldn't enjoy the sight of LA adding another stone to its rotation infinity gauntlet, but the Dodgers aren't in the business of letting their competition keep up.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Mistakes, misfortunes, even tragedy, toxic secrets from the past—anything can happen, or may have happened.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Oct. 2025
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Sacramento Kings general manager Scott Perry and coach Doug Christie are trying to pick up the pieces after a season of chaos caused their predecessors to lose their jobs, but so far fate and misfortune seem to be conspiring against them.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In August, global food security experts said that parts of Gaza were experiencing famine and that severe hunger and privation were widespread there.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Vicissitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vicissitude. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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