vagary
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of vagary
1565–75, in sense “wandering journey”; apparently < Latin vagārī to wander
Explanation
A vagary is an unexpected and unpredictable change, and the word is usually used in the plural. You might know from experience that the vagaries of winter weather make planning a vacation in February a risky proposition. Vagary traces back to the Latin root meaning "wander," and you can think of a vagary as something that wanders. Events or situations that seem to change at random have vagaries. Whether the hottest new boy band will succeed or not is dependent on the vagaries of teenage enthusiasms. The vagaries of the real estate market will determine whether that swamp property you just bought is a gold mine or a disaster.
Vocabulary lists containing vagary
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Christopher Columbus' Diary: The First Voyage
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A Separate Peace
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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.
See Examples For:
But the senators say a vagary in the way the law is written means they can seek another term, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 26, 2023
Eulabee’s own attention moves with lifelike vagary, dilating on anxieties and anticipation.
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2021
It covers the whole wide world of early-19th-century trade, and it evinces a worldly acceptance of human disparity and vagary.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 16, 2018
Normally, this would result in a total solar eclipse, but for a vagary of orbital mechanics: It happened when the Moon was near apogee, the point in its orbit when it’s farthest from Earth.
From Slate ● Dec. 23, 2013
As Sullivan saw it, “Burnham came out of his somnambulistic vagary and joined in. He was keen enough to understand that ‘Uncle Dick’”—meaning Hunt—“had done him a needed favor.”
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
If they are wiped away, Americans voting by mail will have to rely on the vagaries of the Postal Service to ensure their ballots arrive on time.
From Slate ● Mar. 23, 2026
The genius of hit songs, beyond technical artistry—and the vagaries of timing—is the ability to mainline emotion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 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
Reverend Goodacre discussed the vagaries of the cotton market with my father.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
