vicarious

American  

[vahy-kair-ee-uhs, vi-] / vaɪˈkɛər i əs, vɪ- /

adjective

1. performed, exercised, received, or suffered in place of another.

   vicarious punishment.

2. taking the place of another person or thing; acting or serving as a substitute.

3. felt or enjoyed through imagined participation in the experience of others.

   a vicarious thrill.

4. Physiology. noting or pertaining to a situation in which one organ performs part of the functions normally performed by another.

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vicarious British  

/ vɪˈkɛərɪəs, vaɪ- /

adjective

1. obtained or undergone at second hand through sympathetic participation in another's experiences

2. suffered, undergone, or done as the substitute for another

   vicarious punishment

3. delegated

   vicarious authority

4. taking the place of another

5. pathol (of menstrual bleeding) occurring at an abnormal site See endometriosis

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Other Word Forms

• nonvicarious adjective
• nonvicariousness noun
• unvicarious adjective
• unvicariousness noun
• vicariism noun
• vicariously adverb
• vicariousness noun

Etymology

Origin of vicarious

First recorded in 1630–40; from Latin vicārius “substituting,” equivalent to vic(is) (genitive) “interchange, alternation” ( vice ³ ) + -ārius -ary; -ous

Example Sentences

There’s a vicarious sort of pleasure in watching somebody do something that you as a viewer think, “I’m way too smart for.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

The instinct to recoil at the killing of a fellow person, and to feel some vicarious pain as we consider the loss, is part of what makes us human.

From Slate • Jan. 9, 2026

Harrods has accepted vicarious liability for some of the claims, a legal term meaning it accepts ultimate responsibility for Al Fayed's alleged actions.

From BBC • Sep. 29, 2024

That vicarious thrill that audiences once gleaned from stories of the rich and powerful takes on different meanings in series about them today.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 13, 2024

To Collins, Bobby represented a second existence—the boy’s career was a vicarious entry to a level of chess mastery he himself would never achieve.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady