English vocabulary · C1
Vicarious
/vɪˈkɛr.i.əs/ · adj.
It means feeling or experiencing something through another person, not yourself.
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Example sentences
- She felt vicarious joy watching her son win the race.
- He lived vicarious through his favorite player.
Word origin and roots
from Latin
- vicar — substitute (from Latin)
- arius — relating to (from Latin)
Synonyms and nuances
- INDIRECT (connected through someone else's experience)
- SECONDHAND (living through another's experience)
- BORROWED (taking on someone else's feelings or story)
Words with the same root
vicar — substitute
- vicar — a substitute priest
- vicarage — a vicar's house
Lesson notes
Vicarious. It means feeling or experiencing something through another person, not yourself.
Similar words are indirect, secondhand, and borrowed. Use vicarious when you feel someone else's experience as your own.
She felt vicarious joy watching her son win the race. He lived vicarious through his favorite player.
From Latin. Vicar means substitute. Vicarious means you feel it through a substitute — someone else living it for you.