1. a natural change or variation occurring in the course of something
Usage: often used in plural form
2. an unexpected change in circumstances or fortune, especially one that is difficult or unpleasant
Usage: formal

Examples

• The vicissitudes of weather made farming unpredictable.
• She weathered the vicissitudes of her career with grace.
• The company survived many vicissitudes over its fifty-year history.
• Life’s vicissitudes taught him to be more resilient.
• The vicissitudes of the stock market worried investors.
• Through all the vicissitudes of war, the family stayed together.
• The vicissitudes of politics often surprise even seasoned observers.