as in ordeals
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 vicissitudes
Mere knick-knacks, which have all disappeared with the vicissitudes of years.
—
Adam Verner
september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
But Hynes details life’s vicissitudes with poetic exactitude.
—Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
Adam Verner
september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
But Hynes details life’s vicissitudes with poetic exactitude.
—Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vicissitudes
Noun
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Kruse and Fialko invested seven figures into rebuilding Priscilla’s brand, stabilizing her finances, settling her lawsuits, cleaning up numerous private family ordeals, and attempting to help Priscilla repair her relationship with her daughter.—
Michaela Zee,
Variety,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But since June 13th—also the date when the Mets’ major misfortunes began—the Yankees have had a losing record, and have tumbled out of first place.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
24 Aug. 2025
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But as much as Nashville artists love to dissect their misfortunes in song, Monroe has gone in almost the opposite direction with her latest project.—
Nancy Kruh,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Funding challenges often hamper business growth and expansion.—
La Risa R. Lynch,
jsonline.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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His challenges intensify this week at home against USC.—
Scott Dochterman,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The new movie brings fan-favorite characters into the 1930s as Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) is at the heart of a scandal and the Crawleys face financial troubles and social disgrace.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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But Thomas was afflicted by health troubles on the 26-56 Nets last year.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In light of the extraordinary privations and mass killing of Gaza’s civilian population in the current war, Hamas’s external leader, Khaled Meshaal, has likened Gaza to Algeria, where independence was achieved only after the death of more than a million civilians.—
Leila Seurat,
Foreign Affairs,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vicissitudes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vicissitudes. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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