Meaning & use

vicarious

adjective·Academic

Experienced indirectly through imagining or sharing the feelings and actions of another person.

See it in a sentence

Grandma gets vicarious enjoyment from watching her grandchildren open their birthday presents.

He lived out a vicarious adventure by reading travel blogs every evening.

A note on using this word

Often collocates with 'thrill', 'pleasure', or 'enjoyment' to describe feelings gained through others.

Words with a similar meaning

indirectsecondhand

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

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