vagary
noun
an unpredictable or erratic action, occurrence, course, or instance.
vagaries
-
pluralof vagary.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At the least, those responses seem more likely than if the boss were tossing around vagaries on a podcast.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
“By the time the Scramble for Africa was over,” Martin Meredith tells us, the vagaries of geopolitical geometry had amalgamated “some 10,000 African polities . . . into forty European colonies and protectorates.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
The vagaries of the schedule are something that figures to hamper MLS teams all season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
A once proud, close-knit community has been left to the vagaries of absentee landlords, rising deprivation and residents who often don't want to be here.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026
His enlistment seemed just another of Leper’s vagaries, such as the time he slept on top of Mount Katahdin in Maine where each morning the sun first strikes United States territory.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
