vicariously

[vahy-kair-ee-uhs-lee, vi-]

adverb

1. through the experience of another person.

   Adventure novels transport us to strange lands, fraught with perilous situations and terrifying monsters we can vicariously vanquish.

Other Word Forms

• nonvicariously adverb
• unvicariously adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of vicariously¹

vicarious ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Now, we go on remembering vicariously, performing rituals of solemnity and sorrow to honour those who died, but the meaning of those rituals have changed over the years.

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Thanks to TV, we can live vicariously through period dramas where people had staff to prepare their dinner and wash the dishes afterward, a perk of being born into high society.

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In the best horror stories, readers play out their own fears vicariously through those of the protagonist.

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Or you can live vicariously through the bakers on “Bake Off” — whatever satisfies your culinary endeavors.

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Portable screens and social media let us live vicariously through better-looking, richer people.

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