as in afflicts
to cause persistent suffering to
plagued by a cough for all of last week
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in epidemics
a widespread disease resulting in a high rate of death
the Black Death was a plague that killed about one third of Europe's population in the Middle Ages
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plagues
Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2026
Odd moment plagues fourth quarter As the Knicks held on to their fairly sizable lead, a fan ran onto the court, tried to take a selfie with Wembanyama but was quickly apprehended by security.
—Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 4 June 2026
Early has been significantly better on the road than at home this year, a problem that plagues the team as a whole.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 3 June 2026
Alas, Schwarzenegger gave the job to Abel Maldonado, now best remembered for advancing the top-two election system that plagues California.
—Joe Mathews, Mercury News, 2 June 2026
That spending staved off a recession at the cost of overheating the economy, contributing to the inflation that still plagues Americans.
—Matt Peterson, CNBC, 27 May 2026
That is the perfect representation of the fatigue that plagues my life.
—Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 23 May 2026
And as a fight over the reauthorization of a key national security surveillance law plagues the lower chamber, moving forward with the DHS funding hasn't appeared to be a top priority.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
The reclined riding position spreads body weight evenly, eliminating the back, neck, and wrist strain that plagues conventional cycling.
—Omar Kardoudi
april 20, New Atlas, 20 Apr. 2026
Micaela English, Glamour, 30 Apr. 2026
Another kind of typhus, carried by lice and caused by the bacteria Rickettsia prowazekii, produced historic plagues that devastated populations during times of war, famine and poverty, the National Institutes for Health said.
—Don Sweeney
april 8, Sacbee.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Most references to the Arbat in the ancient chronicles are connected to fires, amid mention of invasions and plagues and noble births.
—Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
When Pharaoh refused, God sent the 10 plagues to Egypt as punishment, destroying crops and livestock and afflicting the people, according to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
—Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 1 Apr. 2026
Scholars have debated the reason for the discrepancy; some scholars note that the Psalms are poetic and have their own internal logic, and others contend that the textual tradition’s list of plagues was initially fluid.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Upon Pharaoh ignoring the command to free the Israelites, 10 plagues were unleashed by God on Egypt and its people.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 28 Mar. 2026
The team treats patients against a backdrop of all-too-common American societal plagues, from substance use disorder to medical bankruptcies and mass shootings.
—Jeffrey Tully, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
Anthrax in early Egypt may have been one of the plagues described in the Bible.
—Hannah Kinzer, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
Verb
No, what plagues the Padres is so much deeper.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2026
Odd moment plagues fourth quarter As the Knicks held on to their fairly sizable lead, a fan ran onto the court, tried to take a selfie with Wembanyama but was quickly apprehended by security.
—Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 4 June 2026
Early has been significantly better on the road than at home this year, a problem that plagues the team as a whole.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 3 June 2026
Alas, Schwarzenegger gave the job to Abel Maldonado, now best remembered for advancing the top-two election system that plagues California.
—Joe Mathews, Mercury News, 2 June 2026
That spending staved off a recession at the cost of overheating the economy, contributing to the inflation that still plagues Americans.
—Matt Peterson, CNBC, 27 May 2026
That is the perfect representation of the fatigue that plagues my life.
—Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 23 May 2026
And as a fight over the reauthorization of a key national security surveillance law plagues the lower chamber, moving forward with the DHS funding hasn't appeared to be a top priority.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
The reclined riding position spreads body weight evenly, eliminating the back, neck, and wrist strain that plagues conventional cycling.
—Omar Kardoudi
april 20, New Atlas, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
Its buttery texture melts onto the lips, bypassing the drag and pull that plagues drier drugstore pencils.
—Micaela English, Glamour, 30 Apr. 2026
Another kind of typhus, carried by lice and caused by the bacteria Rickettsia prowazekii, produced historic plagues that devastated populations during times of war, famine and poverty, the National Institutes for Health said.
—Don Sweeney
april 8, Sacbee.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Most references to the Arbat in the ancient chronicles are connected to fires, amid mention of invasions and plagues and noble births.
—Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
When Pharaoh refused, God sent the 10 plagues to Egypt as punishment, destroying crops and livestock and afflicting the people, according to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
—Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 1 Apr. 2026
Scholars have debated the reason for the discrepancy; some scholars note that the Psalms are poetic and have their own internal logic, and others contend that the textual tradition’s list of plagues was initially fluid.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Upon Pharaoh ignoring the command to free the Israelites, 10 plagues were unleashed by God on Egypt and its people.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 28 Mar. 2026
The team treats patients against a backdrop of all-too-common American societal plagues, from substance use disorder to medical bankruptcies and mass shootings.
—Jeffrey Tully, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
Anthrax in early Egypt may have been one of the plagues described in the Bible.
—Hannah Kinzer, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plagues
Verb
-
Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease caused by a virus that primarily and most severely afflicts children.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
-
Consider osteoarthritis, which afflicts roughly 33 million Americans by gradually wearing down cartilage in the joints.—
Bryan T. Kelly,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Officials with Connecticut’s mosquito management program are hard at work setting up traps and collecting mosquitoes for the presence of viruses that can cause illnesses in people, including West Nile virus and eastern equine encephalitis.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
12 June 2026
-
Rats transmit diseases through urine and waste, causing fever and other illnesses.—
Chas Newkey-Burden,
TheWeek,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
China, which jails human rights activists in Hong Kong, persecutes Uyghurs, has killed hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and has committed genocide against the Falun Gong, is on the UN Human Rights Council.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.—
Stephen Kotkin,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Officials said in a news release last year that primarily Ponderosa pine would be left in the area, which are more resistant to pests.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
10 June 2026
-
Like peppers, tomatoes share garden pests with okra.—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
The retrospection tortures her.—
Alexandra Rockey Fleming,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Later, in one of the movie's most satisfying scenes, Millie locks Andrew in the attic and tortures him by loudly smashing each plate.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
In one of the film's most surprising sequences, his character golfs the best game of his life during a terrifying storm, misses a putt, curses God, and gets struck by lightning.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 May 2026
-
Unclear if Instagram curses are transferrable.—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
18 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plagues.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plagues. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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