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vicissitude

noun/vɪˈsɪsɪtjuːd/

C2CEFR level
82/100Rarity: very rare
LiteraryRegister

A change of circumstances, typically an unwelcome one.

They weathered the vicissitudes of a decade in business.

Similar: fluctuation, upheaval, reversal

Origin: Latin vicissitudo 'change'.

Topic: Philosophy & ideas in General English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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