by vice of

English

Etymology

By analogy with by virtue of.

Preposition

by vice of

1. (idiomatic) Because of (something unfavorable, immoral, negative, etc.)

Quotations

1. "The governing principle seems to be some measure of spirituality, with architecture ranking lowest by vice of being grossly material.", Goodman, Nelson. “How Buildings Mean.” Critical Inquiry, vol. 11, no. 4, 1985, pp. 642–653. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1343421.

   "...which are kindled not only by bodily incitement but by vice of the mind", Cassian, John. The Sacred Writings of John Cassian. Jazzybee Verlag, 2012.

   "That said, Northwestern’s defense eventually wore down, deplete of hope by vice of a stagnant offense and a special teams unit that gave up one too many big plays." Zietlow, Alex. “Dutch Fork Overpowers Northwestern, Exits with 49-0 Win.” Heraldonline, Rock Hill Herald, 27 Sept. 2019, https://www.heraldonline.com/sports/high-school/prep-football/article235554152.html#storylink=cpy.