as in predicament
a very bad or difficult situation
—usually singular
The recent cut in funding will only contribute to the hospital's financial plight. the plight of the unemployed
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Recent Examples of plight
ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026
The plight of families adds to the patchwork of complaints from Democratic lawmakers and attorneys about oversight and other issues while the agency enters a sixth week without government funding.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 21 Mar. 2026
Gina Lee Castro, Journal Sentinel, 11 Oct. 2024
Not for months, but for years, plighting their troth.
—Guy Martin, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for plight
Noun
Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, a national organization that Ramírez co-led at the time, wrote an open letter of solidarity with Hollywood women that went viral and further thrust the plight of farmworker women into the national spotlight.
—ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026
The plight of families adds to the patchwork of complaints from Democratic lawmakers and attorneys about oversight and other issues while the agency enters a sixth week without government funding.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 21 Mar. 2026
Verb
Latino history in the U.S. is plighted with systemic issues from mass deportations in the 1920s and 1930s, to poor working conditions for farm workers, to segregated schools, to arrests and stereotypes during the war on drugs.
—Gina Lee Castro, Journal Sentinel, 11 Oct. 2024
Not for months, but for years, plighting their troth.
—Guy Martin, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for plight
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plight
Noun
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Lee said financial pressure on cities has contributed to DART’s predicament this year, and simply moving money around won’t help.—
Lilly Kersh,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Councilmember Kent Lee said this winter that the dire predicament facing the city’s Transportation Department should have been the centerpiece of the campaign for a 2024 ballot measure to raise the city’s sales tax.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The grandiose space’s massive stage and high-caliber lighting rigs promise extravagant parties and ceremonies that will light up the city’s social calendar.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
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In 1995, the owner of the Raiders, Al Davis, was offered about two hundred million dollars in public loans to move the team from Los Angeles back to its previous home in Oakland; when the team moved to Las Vegas, three decades later, it was promised nearly triple that amount.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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While 88% of companies report regular AI use, according to McKinsey, adoption may be stalling as a result of employees’ anxiety around the technology displacing them from their jobs.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
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Noise pollution is a real health issue linked to sleep disorders, elevated blood pressure and anxiety.—
Kim Komando The Kim Komando Show,
FOXNews.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The president vowed late Thursday to find a way to pay Transportation Safety Administration screeners who have been forced to work without paychecks for more than a month, spawning chaotic hours-long lines at some airports.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
27 Mar. 2026
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When Wei’s Cantonese left its Meridian ghost-kitchen building and paused business — vowing to seek another location later — fans were understandably disappointed.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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With such services suspended, lawmakers traveling on Delta will face the same inconveniences as other passengers.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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The situation is unfolding during peak spring break travel — but the concern goes beyond inconvenience.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Here’s how the road less traveled can lead you to long-term success, while your peers’ shortcuts mortgage their long-term futures.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
25 Mar. 2026
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Oklahoma Education Association President Cari Elledge equated the plan to mortgaging a teacher’s future for a salary increase today.—
Nuria Martinez-Keel,
Oklahoma Voice,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The husband-and-wife filmmakers behind the Iranian doc short Cutting Through Rocks, who had faced their own tribulations, were right there.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Mar. 2026
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Ownership struggles, wars, economic collapses, and the ever-evolving tribulations of the automotive business brought constant change.—
James Raia,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The two got engaged in 2014 and have remained affianced since.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
Peoplemag,
5 May 2023
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Alexandra Crotin, a rep for Stone, later confirmed to USA TODAY the actress and writer are now affianced.—
Charles Trepany,
USA TODAY,
5 Dec. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Plight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plight. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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