vicenda

Vicenda is a feminine noun in Italian that denotes the course of events in a narrative or the particular matter being discussed. It can refer to a story plot in literature or film, or to a real-world incident or affair, especially when the sequence of events is notable or has consequences for the people involved.

Etymology: The term is linked to the sense of succession and change found in vicissitudes; it developed in medieval and modern Italian to denote what happens or the events in a matter. The plural vicende is common in casual and formal discourse.

Usage: Vicenda is versatile and often used in both neutral and evaluative contexts. It can describe a straightforward sequence of events, or signal trouble and complication when used with adjectives like brutta or delicata. In journalism and public discourse, it can refer to political, legal, or social episodes, as in vicenda politica or vicenda giudiziaria. It frequently collocates with qualifiers such as storica, personale, o giudiziaria to specify the domain of the events.

Examples: La vicenda risale agli anni ’90. La vicenda giudiziaria ha tenuto banco per settimane. In molte interviste si parla di quest’aferba come di una vicenda delicata e controversa.

See also: synonyms and related terms include storia, trama, avvenimento, episodio, caso. The plural vicende is used for multiple or ongoing events, and the word can describe both fictional plots and real-life affairs.