vicariously
Living through another
Vicariously means experiencing something through another person rather than directly.
You live vicariously through someone when you imagine their experiences as your own: She traveled vicariously through her daughter's postcards.
Parents sometimes live vicariously through their children's achievements.
The word suggests participation at one remove—real emotional engagement, but secondhand.
Upholstered seat with supports
- spectatorObserver at an event
- observerOne who perceives events
- bystanderOne who observes nearby
- witnessOne who attests
indirect · surrogate · proxy · mediated · hearsay · reportage · narrative · recounted
Imaginative mental wandering
- daydreamConscious fantasy while awake
- imaginationFaculty for forming ideas
- adventureRisky exciting undertaking
- wanderlustCraving for distant places
explorer · odyssey · journey · quest · voyeuristic · immersion · transported · engrossed
Concern for others' distress
- identificationEstablishing who someone is
- connectionA joining or relation
- sympathyCompassionate understanding of others
- understandingMental comprehension of something
emotional · immersion · feeling · resonance · sensitivity · rapport · projection · mirroring
Resentful desire for another's advantages
- covetousnessExcessive desire for possessions
- longingIntense, persistent desire
- yearningIntense prolonged craving
- piningAching with prolonged desire
desire · wistful · resentment · begrudge · comparison · inferiority · discontent · wanting
Satisfaction from one's achievements
- achievementAccomplished goal or deed
- accomplishmentSuccessful completion of aim
- successFavorable outcome attained
- fulfillmentState of achieved purpose
satisfaction · projecting · pushy · helicopter · invested · overidentified · ambitious · dreams
armchair
Upholstered seat with supports
witness · indirect · surrogate · proxy · mediated · hearsay · reportage · narrative · recounted · anecdotal
fantasy
Imaginative mental wandering
- daydreamConscious fantasy while awake
- imaginationFaculty for forming ideas
- adventureRisky exciting undertaking
wanderlust · explorer · odyssey · journey · quest · voyeuristic · immersion · transported · engrossed · absorbed
compassion
Concern for others' distress
- identificationEstablishing who someone is
- connectionA joining or relation
- sympathyCompassionate understanding of others
understanding · emotional · immersion · feeling · resonance · sensitivity · rapport · projection · mirroring · shared
jealousy
Resentful desire for another's advantages
- covetousnessExcessive desire for possessions
- longingIntense, persistent desire
- yearningIntense prolonged craving
pining · desire · wistful · resentment · begrudge · comparison · inferiority · discontent · wanting · craving
pride
Satisfaction from one's achievements
- achievementAccomplished goal or deed
- accomplishmentSuccessful completion of aim
- successFavorable outcome attained
fulfillment · satisfaction · projecting · pushy · helicopter · invested · overidentified · ambitious · dreams · aspirations
vicariouslyfirsthand
Without intermediary
directly · personally · in person · experientially · hands-on
- vicarious embarrassmentDiscomfort from others' awkwardness
- vicarious traumaDistress from exposure to others' suffering