as in afflicting
to cause persistent suffering to
plagued by a cough for all of last week
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Recent Examples of plaguing
She is backed by the local Democratic Socialists of America, and her challengers claim the district has suffered under under her leadership, pointing to MacArthur Park as emblematic of the homelessness and drug addiction crisis plaguing the city.
—
Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
The title of his third album, REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE, suggests an MCU movie in which our hero attempts to take on every problem plaguing the planet—and this time, Owusu isn’t giving his adversaries code names.
—Stuart Berman, Pitchfork, 19 May 2026
Tuesday's market action was just one example of the threats that are still plaguing the market, with oil staying above $110 a barrel, and yields climbing.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 19 May 2026
Alternatives to Try If snails and slugs are plaguing your garden, don't worry!
—Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 16 May 2026
Having regulations put into place through this upcoming legislation is a win for both sides, especially if the overall revenue problems plaguing college athletics can at least be solved.
—Trey Wallace, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
Sixteen months after the Eaton Fire, these are the extreme measures Altadena residents are taking to deal with a host of toxic compounds, including arsenic and asbestos, plaguing their families and properties.
—Aarne Heikkila, NBC news, 14 May 2026
First, his ads have gone viral and have proven remarkably effective at shining a light on Bass’ time in office, particularly vis-à-vis the Palisades fire recovery and ongoing quality of life issues plaguing the city.
—Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 14 May 2026
All of Amadeus’s contemporaneous stylistic and dialogue choices are a blast, but the series’ suggestion that this kind of guy is plaguing our present, too, feels the most timeless, and the most unsettling.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 11 May 2026
Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
The title of his third album, REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE, suggests an MCU movie in which our hero attempts to take on every problem plaguing the planet—and this time, Owusu isn’t giving his adversaries code names.
—Stuart Berman, Pitchfork, 19 May 2026
Tuesday's market action was just one example of the threats that are still plaguing the market, with oil staying above $110 a barrel, and yields climbing.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 19 May 2026
Alternatives to Try If snails and slugs are plaguing your garden, don't worry!
—Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 16 May 2026
Having regulations put into place through this upcoming legislation is a win for both sides, especially if the overall revenue problems plaguing college athletics can at least be solved.
—Trey Wallace, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
Sixteen months after the Eaton Fire, these are the extreme measures Altadena residents are taking to deal with a host of toxic compounds, including arsenic and asbestos, plaguing their families and properties.
—Aarne Heikkila, NBC news, 14 May 2026
First, his ads have gone viral and have proven remarkably effective at shining a light on Bass’ time in office, particularly vis-à-vis the Palisades fire recovery and ongoing quality of life issues plaguing the city.
—Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 14 May 2026
All of Amadeus’s contemporaneous stylistic and dialogue choices are a blast, but the series’ suggestion that this kind of guy is plaguing our present, too, feels the most timeless, and the most unsettling.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plaguing
Verb
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Cholera, a waterborne bacterial disease, has unleashed a perilous wave across southern Africa, with active outbreaks currently afflicting five countries in southern and central Africa.—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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Never mind the economic turbulence afflicting the country and the world, driven most recently by rising gas prices because of the war in Iran.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Behind the story One of the really big stories on my beat covering China for the last decade has been Beijing's intensive ramp-up in detaining and persecuting Uyghurs, a primarily Muslim ethnic minority.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
26 May 2026
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The South African government has denied persecuting the ethnic minority, composed of descendants of European settlers, mostly from the Netherlands.—
Camilo Montoya-Galvez,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Israel tried to take over Gaza City before in this war, besieging it and launching raids in its streets, but tens of thousands of people remained.—
Aya Batrawy,
NPR,
5 Sep. 2025
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And while politicians know that there are costs to besieging an independent central bank – financial markets may react negatively or inflation may flare up – short-term control of a powerful policy tool can prove irresistible.—
Ana Carolina Garriga,
The Conversation,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Bobby Atkinson, 37, is accused of threatening to kill his wife during a morning altercation at their Louisville home before allegedly torturing her dogs, Brooklyn and Seven, according to the Louisville Courier Journal, WAVE and WKRC.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
25 May 2026
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Others believe that extraterrestrials are imparting divine wisdom, or are simply torturing us, like a child pulling the legs off an insect.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plaguing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plaguing. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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