Vis-à-vis comes from Latin by way of French, where it means literally "face-to-face." In English it was first used to refer to a little horse-drawn carriage in which two people sat opposite each other. From there it acquired various other meanings, such as "dancing partner." Today it no longer refers to actual physical faces and bodies, but its modern meaning comes from the fact that things that are face-to-face can easily be compared or contrasted. So, for example, a greyhound is very tall vis-à-vis a Scottie, and one currency may be stronger vis-à-vis another.
Examples of vis-à-vis in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Preposition
Peace progresses its layout beyond the vis-a-vis sidewall sofa/kitchen floor plan that's become a staple of early ID.—New Atlas, 8 Aug. 2024 The state’s recovery has been sluggish vis-a-vis those of other states.—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2024 Overall, official and expert assessments have made clear for several years now that the U.S. military advantage vis-a-vis China has eroded significantly and that China is continuing its daunting buildup.—Elbridge Colby, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2022 So minorities, religious minorities, are not in any way at a disadvantage vis-a-vis their Indianness, relative to the majority community, which happens to be Hindus.—Foreign Affairs, 26 Aug. 2014 See all Example Sentences for vis-à-vis
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vis-à-vis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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