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
People who pay attention to the vicissitudes of Tesla CEO Elon Musk know that the man is not always serious on Twitter.
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Aarian Marshall, Wired, 10 May 2020
The vicissitudes of history always challenge us in new and often confounding ways; that’s in the nature of things.
—Jon Meacham, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2020
All of the biggest corporate mergers, the deals that determine the vicissitudes of our global markets, happen within their walls.
—Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, 30 Mar. 2020
Sport is usually a constant -- a field, court, track or course that is resistant to the vicissitudes of the world around us.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 12 Mar. 2020
See all Example Sentences for vicissitude 
Aarian Marshall, Wired, 10 May 2020
The vicissitudes of history always challenge us in new and often confounding ways; that’s in the nature of things.
—Jon Meacham, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2020
All of the biggest corporate mergers, the deals that determine the vicissitudes of our global markets, happen within their walls.
—Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, 30 Mar. 2020
Sport is usually a constant -- a field, court, track or course that is resistant to the vicissitudes of the world around us.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 12 Mar. 2020
See all Example Sentences for vicissitude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vicissitude
Noun
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Jamie Foxx is setting the record straight about his mysterious medical ordeal.Eric Andersson, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024
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Even her description of chemotherapy—her stomach outlined, her internal organs individually asserting themselves—suggests that what her ordeal gave her was a kind of unbearable self-awareness.Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Presented as a two-hour listening gauntlet with no breaks between tracks—or as a sketchy download link on a GeoCities website that channeled Heaven’s Gate—Diamond Jubilee seemed to float in from another place and time.Pitchfork, Pitchfork, 3 Dec. 2024
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Yes, but: Their next five games are somewhat of a gauntlet.Ross Terrell, Axios, 2 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The latest misfortunes came in a game that might have eliminated the Tide from the Playoff.Chris Vannini, The Athletic, 23 Nov. 2024
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Alternatively, a crisis can suddenly arise from a firm’s financial misfortunes, market or supply chain disruptions, regulatory issues and other unexpected developments.Leen Kawas, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Economic privation could further encourage violent competition between Syrian armed groups over territory and revenues.Sam Heller, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2024
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But envisioning the privation that followed, with Panguna shut down, requires little imagination.Sean Williams, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near vicissitude
Cite this Entry
“Vicissitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vicissitude. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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