vis-à-vis

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

/ ˌvi zəˈvi; French vi zaˈvi /

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preposition

compared with: The graph shows income vis-à-vis expenditures.

in relation to or toward: The report is an examination of Japan’s foreign policy vis-à-vis its Asian neighbors.

with regard to; concerning; about: I’ve read his comments vis-à-vis the role of the media in international conflicts.

facing; opposite: We are now vis-à-vis the most famous painting in the Louvre.

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.

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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Origin of vis-à-vis

First recorded in 1745–55; from French: literally, “face to face”; see visage

Words nearby vis-à-vis

visage, -visaged, visagiste, Visakhapatnam, Visalia, vis-à-vis, Visayan, Visayan Islands, Visby, Visc., viscacha

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use vis-à-vis in a sentence

ROME — What does it take for a Hollywood A-lister to get a private audience with Pope Francis?
Pope Francis Has the Pleasure of Meeting Angelina Jolie for a Few Seconds|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yes, Byrd—dead four-and-a-half years now—was a Kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
By the time it concluded with a sing-a-long of “XO,” Beyoncé had done the rare thing.
Bow Down, Bitches: How Beyoncé Turned an Elevator Brawl Into a Perfect Year|Kevin Fallon|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In another year, stories about the strange new face of an A-list actress might draw chortles and cackles.
Renée Zellweger Got a New Face—and Everyone Had An Opinion About It|Kevin O’Keeffe|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Because Duck Dynasty receives monster TV ratings and Robertson paid by a company (A&E) while making these public statements.
Butts, Brawls, and Bill Cosby: The Biggest Celebrity Scandals of 2014 |Kevin Fallon|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now-a-days it is the bankrupt who flouts, and his too confiding creditors who are jeered and laughed at.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
He felt himself the meanest, vilest thing a-crawl upon this sinful earth, and she—dear God!
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
All that scientific bric-a-brac in the cupboard had far better be thrown away.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Urinary sediments may be studied under three heads: A. Unorganized sediments.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
I knowed, a-course, that I could go kick up a fuss when Simpson stopped by his office on his trip back from Goldstone.
Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher|Eleanor Gates

British Dictionary definitions for vis-à-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-à-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

Origin of vis-à-vis

Words nearby vis-à-vis

Words related to vis-à-vis

How to use vis-à-vis in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vis-à-vis

Word Origin for vis-à-vis

Cultural definitions for vis-à-vis