vis-à-vis

[vee-zuh-vee, vee-za-vee]

preposition

1. compared with.

   The graph shows income vis-à-vis expenditures.

2. in relation to or toward.

   The report is an examination of Japan’s foreign policy vis-à-vis its Asian neighbors.

3. with regard to; concerning; about.

   I’ve read his comments vis-à-vis the role of the media in international conflicts.

4. facing; opposite.

   We are now vis-à-vis the most famous painting in the Louvre.

adverb

1. face to face.

   They sat vis-à-vis at the table.

adjective

1. face-to-face.

   a vis-à-vis encounter.

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

noun

plural

vis-à-vis 

1. a person face to face with or situated opposite to another.

   He offered a cigarette to his vis-à-vis.

2. a date at a social affair.

   She introduced her vis-à-vis to the hostess.

3. a person of equal authority, rank, or the like.

   my vis-à-vis in the Louisville office.

4. a carriage in which the occupants sit face to face.

5. Furniture.,  tête-à-tête.

vis-à-vis

/ ˌviːzɑːˈviː /

preposition

1. in relation to; regarding

2. face to face with; opposite

adverb

1. face to face; opposite

noun

1. a person or thing that is situated opposite to another

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

3. an upholstered sofa; tête-à-tête

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

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

vis-à-vis

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of vis-à-vis¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of vis-à-vis¹

C18: French, from vis face

Example Sentences

“We’re seeing substantial asset inflation away from the dollar, as people are looking for ways to effectively de-dollarize, or derisk their portfolios vis-à-vis U.S. sovereign risk,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg.

Read more on Barron's

She says an ongoing assessment is seeking to substantiate if citizenship by investment constitutes "an abuse of the visa-free regime those countries enjoy vis-à-vis the EU and whether it is likely to lead to security risks for the EU".

Read more on BBC

Boasberg also acknowledged that the U.S. and El Salvador seemed to have “struck a diplomatic bargain vis-à-vis the detainees.”

Read more on Slate

History demonstrates that the worst thing we can do vis-à-vis wannabe dictators is being silent and apathic.

Read more on Salon

The women’s reexamination of their complex dad’s demons and flaws, vis-à-vis these unearthed creations, proves illuminating and poignant.

Read more on Los Angeles Times