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vicissitude

noun
vi·​cis·​si·​tude | \ və-ˈsi-sə-ˌtüd How to pronounce vicissitude (audio) , vī-, -ˌtyüd\

Definition of vicissitude

1a : the quality or state of being changeable : mutability
b : natural change or mutation visible in nature or in human affairs
2a : a favorable or unfavorable event or situation that occurs by chance : a fluctuation of state or condition the vicissitudes of daily life
b : a difficulty or hardship attendant on a way of life, a career, or a course of action and usually beyond one's control
c : alternating change : succession
Changes and Vicissitude More Example Sentences Learn More about vicissitude

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Changes and Vicissitude

"Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better," wrote British theologian Richard Hooker in the 16th century. That observation may shed some light on vicissitude, a word that can refer simply to the fact of change, or to an instance of it, but that often refers specifically to hardship or difficulty brought about by change. To survive "the vicissitudes of life" is thus to survive life's ups and downs, with special emphasis on the downs. Vicissitude is a descendant of the Latin noun vicis, meaning "change" or "alternation," and it has been a part of the English language since the 16th century. In contemporary usage, it most often occurs in the plural.

Examples of vicissitude in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 This nation continued to exist beyond the vicissitudes of history and political change. — Vikram Sampath, Quartz India, "The father of Hindutva believed Aryans migrated to India," 20 Aug. 2019 The vicissitudes of Kafka’s identity remain a matter of academic debate. — Washington Post, "Israel unveils Franz Kafka’s papers after a legal battle that was, well, Kafkaesque," 9 Aug. 2019 The vicissitudes of geopolitics are of little concern to Huang, though. — Charlie Campbell, Time, "'I Get to Hug Them All the Time.' What It's Like to Take Care of a Pair of History-Making Panda Cubs," 31 July 2019 The highlight of her career, Ms. Farron later said, came in 1946, when the Sadler’s Wells Ballet (as Vic-Wells was known by then) moved to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden — a haven after the war’s vicissitudes. — Alastair Macaulay, New York Times, "Julia Farron, Acclaimed Ballerina From Age 14, Is Dead at 96," 24 July 2019 Yet the thought of the vicissitudes of her suffering never seemed to register with him. — Anna Pasternak, Town & Country, "How Wallis Simpson Reacted When King Edward VIII Revealed His Plans to Abdicate," 5 Mar. 2019 And most growers prefer a steady local workforce with ongoing knowledge of the vicissitudes of particular crops and climates. — Michael Greenberg, The New York Review of Books, "Farmworker Anxieties," 21 Feb. 2019 But the vicissitudes of nature paled next to another looming threat: the pressures of gentrification on an urban pocket where housing prices have increased more than 400 percent since 2000. — Kristin E. Holmes, Philly.com, "As Philly neighborhoods gentrify, black churches lose their base and leave," 6 July 2018 Before setting off for New England, Wynberg spoke with the Globe about the ensemble, its mission of artistic recovery, and the vicissitudes of presenting music that — by definition — audiences have never encountered before. — Jeremy Eichler, BostonGlobe.com, "Music from the shadows, being heard anew," 28 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vicissitude.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of vicissitude

circa 1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for vicissitude

Middle French, from Latin vicissitudo, from vicissim in turn, from vicis change, alternation — more at week

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