vicarious

adjective

vi·​car·​i·​ous vī-ˈker-ē-əs How to pronounce vicarious (audio)
və-
1
: experienced or realized through imaginative or sympathetic participation in the experience of another
a vicarious thrill
2
a
: serving instead of someone or something else
b
: that has been delegated
vicarious authority
3
: performed or suffered by one person as a substitute for another or to the benefit or advantage of another : substitutionary
a vicarious sacrifice
4
: occurring in an unexpected or abnormal part of the body instead of the usual one
vicarious menstruation manifested by bleeding from the nose
vicariously adverb
vicariousness noun

Did you know?

Vicarious Has Latin Roots

If you act in someone's stead, you take his or her place, at least temporarily. The oldest meaning of vicarious, which dates to the first half of the 1600s, is "serving instead of someone or something else." The word vicarious derives from the Latin noun vicis, which means "change," "alternation," or "stead." Vicis is also the source of the English prefix vice- (as in "vice president"), meaning "one that takes the place of."

Examples of vicarious in a Sentence

I am a vicarious eater, often preferring a description of a meal to eating it. I hoard the Wednesday food section of the New York Times, savoring it as my late-night reading, finishing always with the restaurant review. Anne-Marie Slaughter, Commonweal, 14 June 2002
Most people caged in the humdrum routines of modern life are eager for vicarious glimpses of pain, joy, and especially vitality. Robert Jackall et al., Image Makers, 2000
There is an immense sub-middle class with enough money to preserve it from rancorous envy of the rich, but not enough to preserve it from boredom; it needs vicarious compensations and manages to find them in the gossip columns. Aldous Huxley, The Olive Tree, 1937
To give himself the vicarious illusion of companionship, he fell back on letters. Amy Lowell, John Keats, 1925
By means of ferocious jokes … he could vent his hatred of pioneer life and all its conditions, those conditions that were thwarting his creative life; he could, in this vicarious manner, appease the artist in him … Van Wyck Brooks, The Ordeal of Mark Twain, 1920
Recent Examples on the Web Of course, that doesn't give investors the vicarious buzz of sharing in their favorite artists' success. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2024 The Times lawsuit also alleges counts of trademark dilution, common law unfair competition by misappropriation, and a vicarious copyright infringement claim. Wes Davis, The Verge, 27 Feb. 2024 But very few spoke modern Hebrew, and their identification with the new Jewish nation was almost entirely vicarious. Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024 That Jagger can still sing and dance up a storm, at 80, is a triumph for him and should provide a vicarious thrill for anyone who attends a concert by the Rolling Stones next year. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Dec. 2023 Allegations include direct, contributory, and vicarious copyright infringement, as well as DMCA and trademark violations. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 27 Dec. 2023 For a time, Edith found a kind of vicarious satisfaction in Rose’s liberated attitude. Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Jan. 2024 The sole claim the jury will decide is whether Disney is liable for vicarious infringement. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Dec. 2023 Ephemerality is one of the qualities that female land artists embraced when most men were still focused on vicarious immortality. Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vicarious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin vicarius, from vicis change, alternation, stead — more at week

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of vicarious was in 1637

Dictionary Entries Near vicarious

Cite this Entry

“Vicarious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vicarious. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

vicarious

adjective
vi·​car·​i·​ous vī-ˈker-ē-əs How to pronounce vicarious (audio)
və-,
-ˈkar-
1
: serving or acting for another
2
: done or suffered for the benefit of someone else
a vicarious sacrifice
3
: sharing in someone else's experience through the use of the imagination or sympathetic feelings
vicarious joy
vicariously adverb
vicariousness noun

Medical Definition

vicarious

adjective
vi·​car·​i·​ous vī-ˈker-ē-əs, və-, -ˈkar- How to pronounce vicarious (audio)
: occurring in an unexpected or abnormal part of the body instead of the usual one
bleeding from the gums sometimes occurs in the absence of the normal discharge from the uterus in vicarious menstruation

Legal Definition

vicarious

adjective
vi·​car·​i·​ous vī-ˈkar-ē-əs How to pronounce vicarious (audio)
: imposed on one person in place of another see also vicarious liability at liability sense 2b
vicariously adverb
vicariousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on vicarious

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