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
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
See All Example Sentences for vicissitude
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
See All Example Sentences for vicissitude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vicissitude
Noun
-
Many people come to the story—the missing woman, the panicked family, the ordeal so singular but relatable—expressing compassion.—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Following practice on Tuesday before the suspensions were handed out, Lee detailed how the Hornets can use the whole ordeal to better themselves.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But that gauntlet is now over, and the Horned Frogs must take advantage and begin to stack wins, starting with Saturday’s game against Kansas State.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Feb. 2026
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Rookie left tackle Will Campbell’s gauntlet of a postseason doesn’t get any easier in Super Bowl LX with the Patriots facing off against the Seahawks’ vaunted defense.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There’s some luck involved with that, but there’s far more to it than misfortune.—
Sam McDowell
February 5,
Kansas City Star,
5 Feb. 2026
-
This was a window where Villa had to adjust to injury misfortune and, all the while, satisfy Emery’s wishes for improvement.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Vicissitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vicissitude. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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