What Does Vice Versa Mean? | Definition & Examples

Vice versa is an adverb meaning “the other way around.”

It’s used to indicate that a statement is also true if the order is reversed. For example, in the sentence “we should be respectful of our neighbors, and vice versa,” it suggests that the statement is also true the other way around (i.e., “our neighbors should be respectful of us”).

Examples: “Vice versa” in a sentence
Sam hates her boss, and vice versa.

When I’m sad I eat too much, and vice versa.

We can go to the cinema and then for dinner, or vice versa.

All cats are animals, but not vice versa.

Vice versa is a term of Latin origin (like “ad nauseam” and “et al.”), but it has been used in the English language for hundreds of years, so it doesn’t need to be italicized. It also should not be hyphenated (“vice-versa”), and the spelling “vice a versa” is incorrect.

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Ryan, E. (September 16, 2022). What Does Vice Versa Mean? | Definition & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved October 17, 2022, from https://www.scribbr.com/definitions/vice-versa/

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Eoghan Ryan

Eoghan has a lot of experience with theses and dissertations at bachelor's, MA, and PhD level. He has taught university English courses, helping students to improve their research and writing.