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
Jessica Camille Aguirre, New Yorker, 2 May 2026
The protests seek to shine a light on income inequality and the plight of the working class, as well as demonstrating opposition to Trump administration policies.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 1 May 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
By this point, most of Germany’s major news organizations were live-blogging the whale’s plight.
—Jessica Camille Aguirre, New Yorker, 2 May 2026
The protests seek to shine a light on income inequality and the plight of the working class, as well as demonstrating opposition to Trump administration policies.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 1 May 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
-
Our predicament was worsened by the motor-laden, vertically floating canoe that offered little support and would not be blown or pushed ashore, and by the loss of untethered life cushions and the lack of life jackets.—
Jim Hoagland,
Outdoor Life,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Eddie Howe experienced a similar predicament and challenges on the financial front, with a desire for squad rejuvenation.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Both events promise unforgettable views of the sun's corona, plunging daytime into an eerie twilight.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
10 May 2026
-
Their response was not promising.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
But the following year, as the pandemic wore on and crime rates ticked up, the politics of criminal justice in the city shifted toward law-and-order anxiety, even as new waves of COVID infection struck the jails.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
War rumbles on Putin, who has ruled Russia as president or prime minister since the last day of 1999, faces a wave of anxiety in Moscow about the war in Ukraine, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people, left swathes of Ukraine in ruins, and drained Russia’s $3 trillion economy.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Democrats vow to fight on Suzan DelBene, the top fundraiser for House Democrats, denounced the Virginia Supreme Court decision, characterizing it as four unelected judges casting aside the will of voters.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
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When the social media app briefly went dark in January 2025, Trump, on his first day in office, signed an executive order that allowed the company to continue operating in the United States, essentially vowing not to enforce the ban while negotiations over a potential sale continued.—
Katherine Faulders,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Ilyich perceives that his family regards his suffering only as an inconvenience to them.—
Nicholas Dawidoff,
New Yorker,
10 May 2026
-
Be apologetic for the inconvenience.—
Jessica Kozuka,
Travel + Leisure,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
The Penguins really didn’t mortgage their future this year by competing, at least.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
-
Stop mortgaging our future for vanity projects.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The new film, which is both written and directed by the franchise’s longtime screenwriter John Hamburg, sees Grande play Olivia Jones, the fiancé of Pam and Greg Focker’s son who now has to endure the tribulations of meeting the parents (and grandparents) before joining the family.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
15 Apr. 2026
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That was Mark Critchley’s cue to interview Maguire about his tribulations in Manchester (and his harder times with the England national team, too).—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The two got engaged in 2014 and have remained affianced since.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
Peoplemag,
5 May 2023
-
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 13 May. 2026.
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