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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Beyond this, the risks to personal and business privacy posed by the unpredictable way chatbots store and handle our data are challenges that wider society will need to address.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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One of the main challenges facing the economy is the strained relationship between Beijing and Washington as disputes over technology and geopolitics mount.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Almost 10% of all EVs and hybrids and more than 5% of all cars sold in Europe in July were Chinese-built, and brands such as BYD and XPENG are using Munich to show off new models, even as some Chinese carmakers face troubles at home.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Camacho’s career included victories over Roberto Durán and Sugar Ray Leonard, but his life outside the ring was marked by struggles with addiction and legal troubles before his tragic death in 2012.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Since 2022, Russia repeatedly urged China to act quickly to save its economy from inevitable privations stemming from the collapse of its Western market.—
Ariel Cohen,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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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 17 Sep. 2025.
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