vis-à-vis

[ vee-zuh-vee; French vee-za-vee ]

/ ˌvi zəˈvi; French vi zaˈvi /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR vis-à-vis ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb

face to face: They sat vis-à-vis at the table.

adjective

face-to-face: a vis-à-vis encounter.

Numismatics. (of a coin) having two portraits facing each other.

preposition

in relation to; compared with: income vis-à-vis expenditures.

facing; opposite: They were now vis-à-vis the most famous painting in the Louvre.

noun, plural vis-à-vis [vee-zuh-veez; French vee-za-vee] /ˌvi zəˈviz; French vi zaˈvi/.

a person face to face with or situated opposite to another: He offered a cigarette to his vis-à-vis.

a date at a social affair: She introduced her vis-à-vis to the hostess.

a person of equal authority, rank, or the like: my vis-à-vis in the Louisville office.

a carriage in which the occupants sit face to face.

Furniture. tête-à-tête(def 2).

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transliterate

to remove or destroy all traces of.

to change (letters, words, etc.), into corresponding characters of another alphabet or language.

to explain in terms that can be more easily understood.

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Origin of vis-à-vis

1745–55; < French: face to face; see visage

Words nearby vis-à-vis

virus-associated hemophagocytic syndrome, virus-transformed cell, virusoid, vis, vis major, vis-à-vis, vis., visa, visage, visagiste, visakhapatnam

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for vis-a-vis

Vis-a-vis writing, Exeter was the place I got interested in writing.
Chang-rae Lee: How I Write|Noah Charney|January 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not only on the diplomatic level— i.e., vis-a-vis Europe or Israel, but also within Palestinian society.
Losing Jerusalem Sewage Plant Could Prove Longer Term Win for Palestinians|Hillel Cohen|September 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Leslie Warburton had replaced her mask, but the face she concealed was engraven upon the memory of her vis-a-vis.
Dangerous Ground|Lawrence L. Lynch
Captain Horton found his vis-a-vis a somewhat unsatisfactory companion.
The Yellow Crayon|E. Phillips Oppenheim

My dear dad, you shall rattle up in your vis-a-vis, to the astonishment of all Garlick Hill.
Fontainbleau|John O'Keeffe
There are Chippendale chairs, with carved rosettes, in low relief, vis-a-vis with a child's slat-back chair.
Historic Homes|Mary H. Northend
Looking down he saw the lady's hand resting upon his knee, and he straightway utilized the forefinger of his vis-a-vis.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 12|Elbert Hubbard

British Dictionary definitions for vis-a-vis

vis-à-vis

/ (ˌviːzɑːˈviː) /

preposition

in relation to; regarding

face to face with; opposite

adverb, adjective

face to face; opposite

noun plural vis-à-vis

a person or thing that is situated opposite to another

a person who corresponds to another in office, capacity, etc; counterpart

an upholstered sofa; tête-à-tête

a type of horse-drawn carriage in which the passengers sit opposite one another

a coin having an obverse upon which two portraits appear facing each other

Word Origin for vis-à-vis

C18: French, from vis face

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for vis-a-vis

vis-à-vis

[ (vee-zuh-vee) ]

Relative to; compared with: “She performed well vis-à-vis the rest of the competitors.”

vis-à-vis

adverb

adjective

preposition

noun, plural vis-à-vis [vee-zuh-veez; French vee-za-vee] /ˌvi zəˈviz; French vi zaˈvi/.

QUIZZES

THIS WEEK’S WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ IS POSITIVELY FELICIFIC

Origin of vis-à-vis

Words nearby vis-à-vis

Words related to vis-a-vis

Example sentences from the Web for vis-a-vis

British Dictionary definitions for vis-a-vis

preposition

adverb, adjective

noun plural vis-à-vis

Word Origin for vis-à-vis

Cultural definitions for vis-a-vis