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
The show is good at making the off-and-on vicissitudes of modern dating feel natural to the plot.
—
Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026
The Kino Babylon, opened in 1929 and still going strong despite vicissitudes, is an appropriate venue for Guadalajara’s 40th anniversary showcase.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 31 Jan. 2026
The family drama is underpinned by the vicissitudes inherent in moviemaking.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 19 Jan. 2026
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
But Hynes details life’s vicissitudes with poetic exactitude.
—Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026
The Kino Babylon, opened in 1929 and still going strong despite vicissitudes, is an appropriate venue for Guadalajara’s 40th anniversary showcase.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 31 Jan. 2026
The family drama is underpinned by the vicissitudes inherent in moviemaking.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 19 Jan. 2026
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
But Hynes details life’s vicissitudes with poetic exactitude.
—Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vicissitudes
Noun
-
The medical ordeals are traumatic and disgusting, but fascinating and full of the quirks of modern life.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Both women survived, but are still reeling from ordeals that have drawn national attention — in part, because they were captured on video and shared on social media.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
But there’s a network of people looking to cash in on others’ misfortunes by renting out aging RVs to those searching for housing without a lease or tenant protections.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Once these people are already profiting off their own peccadillos and escalating misfortunes, why shouldn’t HBO?—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Europe has struggled to unite to meet the challenges of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the last four years.—
Domi Suskova,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The playoffs will be difficult, but Birdville basketball has already faced far greater challenges off the court.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Pasquini said people in her circumstances have been accused of wanting to shed their troubles by having their kids locked away.—
Steve Lopez,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Instead, many of them came to see their new and unexpected troubles as the result of the mass emigration of Eastern European Jews which was just getting under way.—
Nicholas Lemann,
New Yorker,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Diaries kept by Eugenia Zieber describe the privations of the trail, chief among them the frequent deaths of fellow travelers.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
-
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
“Vicissitudes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vicissitudes. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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