vicarious
Americanadjective
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performed, exercised, received, or suffered in place of another.
vicarious punishment.
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taking the place of another person or thing; acting or serving as a substitute.
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felt or enjoyed through imagined participation in the experience of others.
a vicarious thrill.
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Physiology. noting or pertaining to a situation in which one organ performs part of the functions normally performed by another.
adjective
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obtained or undergone at second hand through sympathetic participation in another's experiences
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suffered, undergone, or done as the substitute for another
vicarious punishment
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delegated
vicarious authority
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taking the place of another
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pathol (of menstrual bleeding) occurring at an abnormal site See endometriosis
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vicarious
First recorded in 1630–40; from Latin vicārius “substituting,” equivalent to vic(is) (genitive) “interchange, alternation” ( see vice 3) + -ārius -ary; see -ous
Explanation
If something is vicarious, it delivers a feeling or experience from someone else. If your child becomes a big star, you might have a vicarious experience of celebrity. Vicarious comes from the Latin word vicarius, which means "substitute." If you have vicarious enjoyment, you have a second-hand thrill. You might get vicarious thrills of adventure by reading your friend's letters from overseas. If you're mad at your cat but you take it out on your dog, that's vicarious punishment. Vicarious can also be used as a medical term meaning "occurring in an unexpected part of the body."
Vocabulary lists containing vicarious
100 Words to Make You Sound Smart
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Grade 12, List 3
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"Why Read Shakespeare?" Vocabulary from the argument
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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.
And others prefer to spend their vicarious leisure time amid freezing winds, frigid water, 40-foot waves and ice floes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
We don’t just go to movies for vicarious adventures.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
Johnson, squeezed into a wig so tight we get a vicarious headache, has pumped up his deltoids to nearly reach his prosthetic cauliflower ears.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025
The reality is that vicarious trauma is real.
From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2025
I felt a vicarious delight just being near the excitement.
From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals
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.
