Vicarious (Adjective)
Meaning 1
Experienced at secondhand; "read about mountain climbing and felt vicarious excitement".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- She felt a vicarious thrill as she watched her friend skydive on television, imagining the rush of free-falling through the air.
- Reading about space exploration gave him a vicarious sense of adventure, sparking his interest in astronomy.
- The war movie allowed viewers to experience the horrors of battle vicariously, without actually being on the front lines.
- Watching her daughter graduate from college was a vicarious experience of pride and accomplishment for the mother.
- Reading a travel blog about backpacking through Europe gave her a vicarious sense of travel and exploration.
Meaning 2
Suffered or done by one person as a substitute for another; "vicarious atonement".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- She believed in the concept of vicarious atonement, where a savior suffers for the sins of others.
- The priest performed the ritual, offering prayers as a vicarious sacrifice to absolve the congregation of their sins.
- The idea of a vicarious punishment, where an innocent person is punished for another's crime, raises complex moral questions.
- In many Eastern Orthodox traditions, the Eucharist is seen as a vicarious offering, where Christ's sacrifice is reenacted for the forgiveness of humanity.
- Through their stories and struggles, the protagonists in the novels allowed readers to experience a vicarious redemption, achieving personal growth without having to go through the actual hardships.
Meaning 3
Occurring in an abnormal part of the body instead of the usual site involved in that function; "vicarious menstruation".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The rare occurrence of vicarious menstruation can manifest through nosebleeds in some cases, instead of the usual vaginal bleeding.
- Vicarious lactation, also known as galactorrhea, is an abnormal milk production that may occur in men or in non-pregnant women.
- In vicarious renal excretion, the liver takes over the waste removal function of the kidneys when they fail to perform this role adequately.
- Vicarious digestion occurs in some organisms that do not have a digestive system, using other parts of the body to break down food.
- A patient may experience vicarious salivation if they have a condition causing excessive salivation through an abnormal site.