Meanings
- not comparableDelegated.
- not comparableExperienced or gained by taking in another person’s experience rather than through first-hand experience, such as through watching or reading.
People experience vicarious pleasures through watching television.
2 more examples
The pleasures which I made haste to seek in my disguise were, as I have said, undignified; I would scarce use a harder term. But in the hands of Edward Hyde, they soon began to turn toward the monstrous. When I would come back from these excursions, I was often plunged into a kind of wonder at my vicarious depravity.
1886, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter 10, in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr HydeThese are people getting some sort of vicarious thrill from the street violence people like Tommy Robinson promote. Those that are attacking Jess Philips, who I'm proud to call colleague and a friend, are not protecting victims.
2025 January 6, Keir Starmer, 33:21 from the start, in Prime Minister's remarks on the NHS, South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre, Epsom - not comparableOn behalf of others.
The concept of vicarious atonement, that one person can atone for the sins of another, is found in many religions.
2 more examples
As time went on, the cruel custom was so far mitigated that a ram was accepted as a vicarious sacrifice in room of the royal victim.
1900, James Frazer, chapter 26, in The Golden BoughIn these, however, he had not much time to indulge, for a footman, still decked in the trappings of vicarious grief, opened the door with the most startling promptitude, and he was ushered upstairs into a small but richly furnished room.
1920, H. Rider Haggard, chapter III, in The Blue Curtains
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveexperienced at secondhand
adjectiveoccurring in an abnormal part of the body instead of the usual site involved in that function
adjectivesuffered or done by one person as a substitute for another
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*weyk-
- Latinvicis
- Latinvicārius
- Proto-Indo-European*h₃ed-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₃édosder.?
- Englishvicarious
From Latin vicārius (“vicarious, substituted”) + English -ous. First attested in the 17th century. Doublet of vicar.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian делегиран, заместващ
- делегиран (delegiran)delegated
- заместващ (zamestvašt)on behalf of others
Czech zástupný
- zástupnýexperienced or gained by the loss or to the consequence of another
Dutch indirect, overgedragen
- indirectexperienced or gained by the loss or to the consequence of another
- overgedragenexperienced or gained by the loss or to the consequence of another
- plaatsvervangendon behalf of others
Finnish toisen puolesta tehty
- toisen puolesta tehtyon behalf of others
French par procuration, indirect
- par procurationdelegated
- indirectexperienced or gained by the loss or to the consequence of another
- par procurationexperienced or gained by the loss or to the consequence of another
- par procurationon behalf of others
German stellvertretend, anstelle von
- stellvertretenddelegated
- anstelle vondelegated
- übertragendelegated
- nachempfundendelegated
- in Vertretungdelegated
- indirektexperienced or gained by the loss or to the consequence of another
- übertragenexperienced or gained by the loss or to the consequence of another
- projiziertexperienced or gained by the loss or to the consequence of another
- begleitendexperienced or gained by the loss or to the consequence of another
- stellvertretendon behalf of others
- Ersatz-on behalf of others
- substituierton behalf of others
Hungarian másodkézből való, másodlagos
- másodkézből valóexperienced or gained by the loss or to the consequence of another
- másodlagosexperienced or gained by the loss or to the consequence of another
- közvetettexperienced or gained by the loss or to the consequence of another
- más helyett végzett/elviselt/tapasztalton behalf of others
Japanese 身代わりの
- 身代わりの (migawari-no)on behalf of others
Portuguese vicário
- vicárioon behalf of others
Russian делегированный, замещающий
- делегированный (delegirovannyj)delegated
- замещающий (zameščajuščij)experienced or gained by the loss or to the consequence of another
Slovak sprostredkovaný, sprostredkovaný
- sprostredkovanýexperienced or gained by the loss or to the consequence of another
- sprostredkovanýon behalf of others
- delegovanýon behalf of others
- zástupnýon behalf of others
Spanish vicario, vicarial
- vicarioexperienced or gained by the loss or to the consequence of another
- vicarialexperienced or gained by the loss or to the consequence of another
- vicarianteexperienced or gained by the loss or to the consequence of another
- vicarioon behalf of others
- vicarialon behalf of others
- vicarianteon behalf of others
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with vicarious
Cite this entry
vicarious. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vicarious
“vicarious.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vicarious. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vicarious,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vicarious.
Source: vicarious on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.