as in tormented
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Dissimilar Words
as in afflicted
to cause persistent suffering to
plagued by a cough for all of last week
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Recent Examples of plagued
ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Despite the child molestation claims that plagued Jackson for decades, his fans have demonstrated a number of times that the answer is yes.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026
But Boston’s top big man could not shake the fouling issues that have plagued him throughout the series.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
But after winning the inaugural ArenaBowl, instability plagued the Dynamite, which did not field a team in ’88 and filed for bankruptcy by early ’92.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026
Both organizations have been plagued by controversy.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 26 Apr. 2026
The tennis elbows that forced him to miss the first few months of the 2025 season still require maintenance, and he’s been plagued by various lower-body injuries throughout his Yankees career.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
Mali has been plagued by insurgencies fought by affiliates of al Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as a separatist rebellion in the north.
—CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026
From its inception, however, the office was plagued with turf wars and structural problems.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2026
Verb
Corruption cases reminiscent of the scandals that plagued the political elite that Milei vowed to overthrow have added to his challenges, with his close ally and chief of staff, Manuel Adorni, now under investigation for the misuse of public funds.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Despite the child molestation claims that plagued Jackson for decades, his fans have demonstrated a number of times that the answer is yes.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026
But Boston’s top big man could not shake the fouling issues that have plagued him throughout the series.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
But after winning the inaugural ArenaBowl, instability plagued the Dynamite, which did not field a team in ’88 and filed for bankruptcy by early ’92.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026
Both organizations have been plagued by controversy.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 26 Apr. 2026
The tennis elbows that forced him to miss the first few months of the 2025 season still require maintenance, and he’s been plagued by various lower-body injuries throughout his Yankees career.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
Mali has been plagued by insurgencies fought by affiliates of al Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as a separatist rebellion in the north.
—CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026
From its inception, however, the office was plagued with turf wars and structural problems.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plagued
Verb
-
Washington’s version of McCall is disciplined but damaged, and possibly afflicted with something like obsessive-compulsive disorder.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
These are important messages for a world afflicted by war and division.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Walker, however, agreed with the majority that the president cannot deport migrants to countries where they will be persecuted or strip them of mandatory procedures that protect against their removal.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Walker, however, agreed with the majority that the president cannot deport migrants to countries where they will be persecuted or strip them of mandatory procedures that protect against their removal.—
Michael Kunzelman,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
After the game, footage captured by The Athletic showed Carvajal in a visibly frustrated exchange with head fitness coach Antonio Pintus.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
In the weeks before Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, the alcoholic, frustrated cabaret singer/force of nature that is Mary Todd Lincoln deals with secret yearnings, as does her husband.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The kidnappers didn’t care and tortured the family with 2 notes knowing the FBI would not recommend paying a ransom without proof of life.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
22 Apr. 2026
-
In July 2013, Anderson and Walker were found bound, gagged, tortured and shot to death in Anderson’s home, according to police.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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He was also charged with grooming, traveling to meet a minor, and aggravated battery.—
Lauren Victory,
CBS News,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The charges include aggravated assault, evading arrest, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, speeding, and assault on a first responder.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In a similar vein, the Business section featured an article on our inequitable national tax structure, which enables the wealthy to grow their wealth while most people, besieged by income taxes and rising property taxes, struggle.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Early on, the Biden team had been besieged with desperate pleas to ship more of the then scarce vaccine.—
David Blumenthal,
STAT,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Based on the 1995 novel by Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic follows the witchy women of the Owens’ family, whose heartbroken ancestor cursed their bloodline so that any man who falls in love with an Owens woman dies a tragic death.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Gray is a very smart actor and wholly credible as a woman swimming in the amoral landscape of big tech, cursed by having eyes wide open.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Projects will be judged on several criteria, including the project’s creativity and the use of tested and accurate AI.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Every batch of ice cream, even those with tested and confirmed recipes, requires a lot of tasting and adjusting.—
Maggie Hiufu Wong,
CNN Money,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plagued.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plagued. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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