vis-a-vis

Vis-a-vis is a fancy way of saying "in regard to" or "compared to," as in: "He was substantially underpaid vis-a-vis other researchers."

Technically that "a" in vis-a-vis is an "à" as the phrase translates literally from the French for "face to face." There's a slightly pedantic ring to the term vis-a-vis so use it with caution. It's more a term that might be used in a newspaper article or academic treatise, and something best avoided in speech altogether, unless you're deliberately aiming for comic effect.

Definitions of vis-a-vis

1. noun

   a person or thing having the same function or characteristics as another
   synonyms: counterpart, opposite number

   types:

   match

   something that resembles or harmonizes with

   mismatch

   a bad or unsuitable match

   complement

   either of two parts that mutually complete each other

   type of:

   equivalent

   a person or thing equal to another in value, measure, force, effect, significance, etc.
2. noun

   small sofa that seats two people
   synonyms: love seat, loveseat, tete-a-tete

   type of:

   couch, lounge, sofa

   an upholstered seat for more than one person
3. adverb

   face-to-face with; literally `face to face'
   “they sat vis-a-vis at the table”

   “I found myself vis-a-vis a burly policeman”