vis-a-vis

A form of vis-à-vis — In relation to; compared with.

Meanings

adverbvis-a-vis (not comparable)
  1. alternativenot comparableAlternative spelling of vis-à-vis.
adjectivevis-a-vis (not comparable)
  1. alternativenot comparableAlternative spelling of vis-à-vis.
nounvis-a-vis (plural vis-a-vis)
  1. alternativeAlternative spelling of vis-à-vis.
preposition
  1. alternativeAlternative spelling of vis-à-vis.
    1 more example

    Nixon confirmed that the Chinese Communists at first demanded that throughout the communique Taiwan be referred to as "a province of China." He said he had demurred, insisting that the U.S. side could refer to Taiwan only as "a part of China." Nixon's reasoning was that being dubbed "a province of China" would place Taiwan immediately in a subordinate position vis-a-vis the People's Republic of China; whereas being labeled "a part of China" would give Taiwan, despite its smaller size, a higher status vis-a-vis the mainland. I could tell by listening to Nixon that he was very pleased with himself on this matter.

    1983, James C. H. Shen, “A Round of Calls”, in Robert Myers, editor, The U.S. & Free China: How the U.S. Sold Out Its Ally, Washington, D.C.: Acropolis Books Ltd., →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 109

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna person or thing having the same function or characteristics as another

Broader

nounsmall sofa that seats two people

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Cite this entry
APA

vis-a-vis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vis-a-vis

MLA

“vis-a-vis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vis-a-vis. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vis-a-vis,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vis-a-vis.

Source: vis-a-vis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.