as in anxieties
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
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of plights
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
27 May 2026
At great personal risk, Hadi connected me with dissidents, political prisoners, and their relatives, who all described their plights as the regime’s repressive campaign escalated in the weeks leading up to the war.
—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Given the tyrannical inferno that engulfed these precariously united states, my personal plights were mere embers, ashes, in the grand scheme of things.
—
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
Then again, that slightly generic quality never impinges on the film’s characterizations, and allows viewers to extrapolate the finer points of this story to the plights of so many other refugees, from Syria and elsewhere.
—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
27 Jan. 2026
The particular bodily plights of the thirty-something jock don’t stem simply from the inherent risk imbued in competitive sports.
—
Grace Perry,
Outside,
1 Jan. 2026
Our reviewer was captivated by the evocative writing and moved by the characters’ plights.
—
Heller McAlpin,
Christian Science Monitor,
13 May 2025
Noun
The movie, which will premiere June 10 at the fest, dramatizes the plights of Iranian civilians weeks before the United States and Israel invaded the country this year.
—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
27 May 2026
At great personal risk, Hadi connected me with dissidents, political prisoners, and their relatives, who all described their plights as the regime’s repressive campaign escalated in the weeks leading up to the war.
—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Given the tyrannical inferno that engulfed these precariously united states, my personal plights were mere embers, ashes, in the grand scheme of things.
—
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
Then again, that slightly generic quality never impinges on the film’s characterizations, and allows viewers to extrapolate the finer points of this story to the plights of so many other refugees, from Syria and elsewhere.
—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
27 Jan. 2026
The particular bodily plights of the thirty-something jock don’t stem simply from the inherent risk imbued in competitive sports.
—
Grace Perry,
Outside,
1 Jan. 2026
Our reviewer was captivated by the evocative writing and moved by the characters’ plights.
—
Heller McAlpin,
Christian Science Monitor,
13 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plights
Noun
-
Rather than bridging shortfalls, both Seattle and Washington now face more difficult fiscal predicaments, Joblon said.
-
The madman strategy is for not-crazy leaders caught in adverse predicaments.
Verb
-
StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee promises replacement tickets or a refund if tickets fail to arrive.
-
The program also promises a job offer for graduates.
Noun
-
In great detail and with candid memories, the book narrates the trials, tribulations, and tragedies from the band’s formation in 1984 through the current day, including emotional and personal reflections on the life and death of one of its own superheroes, Chris Cornell.
-
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.
Verb
-
Those are the players in recent memory who’ve commanded the kind of draft capital that reshapes franchises — the sort of seismic move that mortgages a future and, in return, attaches expectations normally reserved for franchise-carrying superstars.
Noun
-
There have been reports that some locals are not thrilled with Lipa and Turner’s takeover of their city, which has resulted in road closures and other inconveniences.
-
From everyday disruptions to other inconveniences and (perhaps) annoyances, things pop up.
Verb
-
Many in Venezuela will now be waiting to see if those vows from the world’s wealthiest nation will now turn into concrete action.
-
As Ukrainian leaders tout shifting war dynamics and conditional openness to talks, Moscow vows to safeguard ally Belarus, which Kyiv accuses of aiding Russian drone strikes, raising regional security tensions.
Noun
-
Those frustrations could be on the verge of boiling over.
-
South Africa has a history of xenophobic violence as migrants from poor nations like Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi generally end up settling in impoverished communities in South Africa where unemployment and frustrations are high.
Noun
-
Trump regularly regales audiences with his prowess as a dealmaker by recounting conversations he's had with Macron about trade irritants, mimicking Macron's responses in an exaggerated accent.
-
Chemicals from the fire include respiratory irritants, toxic gases, carcinogens and at least one neurotoxin, according to the San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services.
Cite this Entry
“Plights.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plights. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
