Are you looking for a way to describe something as "similar, but with reversed positions?" You could use the term “vice versa” to describe this scenario. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.
Meaning
The expression “vice versa” means “with position turned” or “the other way around.” It’s a way of calling a person's attention to opposites.
Example Usage
"This device features a 1080p up-conversion with two-way dubbing. This way, you can transfer to DVDs and vice versa."
"It wouldn't be the first time racial ideas came from the US or vice versa."
"Effectively, the armed forces operate out of Indian bases, and vice versa."
"There are some times when I'm happy and write something sad, and vice versa."
"Moral claims are either true or false, so all moral truths are moral claims, but they aren't vice versa."
"Some plant species are sown from left to right and vice versa."
"However, it's not correct to say the intrusive conditions the degemination or vice versa."
"The income redistribution is from high rental income to low-income groups and vice versa."
"Extrapolation of the results from specialists or a community setting to primary care (or vice versa) is somewhat misleading."
"If examples share similar qualities, they must possess a contrasting defect and vice versa."
"You can travel by airplane from NYC to LA, and vice versa."
"Tim misses spending time at home with his family, and vice versa."
"This is due to the functionality of the deferred components containing defined types, and vice versa."
"It may be that the measure of preference predicts the resistance to change and vice versa."
"Ideally, we want to observe language impairments with retention of the willingness to carry out complex math operations and vice versa."
"In this must lie fundamental reasons for the socialist cooperation with extreme conservatives and vice versa."
"Any formal markers enable modes of functional interpretations and vice versa."
"Each color and pitch are associated with a single wavelength, and it's natural to associate these colors with pitches and vice versa."
"The bigger the number of reactions, the simpler the initial object and vice versa."
"I would be there for her if she got in trouble, and vice versa. I trust her with my life."
"My son didn't like his teacher and vice versa. These educators are privileged and don't try to see things from the child's point of view. It's like they expect the kids to fall in line with everything they say."
Origin
The expression "vice versa" originates from two Latin words, circa 1600. It originally meant "the order being changed," and it still retains a similar meaning.
Vice comes from the Latin "vicis" meaning "a change or alternate order." Versa comes from the Latin "vertere" meaning "to turn or to turn about." Together the two words mean "an in-turned position." Today it means "similar, but with reversed positions."
Phrases Similar to Vice Versa
- Same same.
- Same difference.
- The other side of the coin.
- One or the other.
Phrases Opposite to Vice Versa
- Nothing alike.
Ways People May Say Vice Versa Incorrectly
It's common for people to misspell and mispronounce "visa versa" as "vica versa" or other incorrect spellings. The only accepted spelling of the idiom is "vice versa."
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Vice Versa
You can use the expression "vice versa" in situations where you want to say "the opposite" or the other side of something. It's a versatile saying but more suited to professional language than social use. You can use the expression in verbal conversations where you want the person to understand the opposite of what you were talking about applies to the situation.
Or you can use it in professional wiring to indicate that the opposite of the situation has the same importance as what you're discussing. It's not popular in social conversations, as most people would rather replace it with colloquialisms like "same same" or "same difference."