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
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Recent Examples of plights
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
Noun
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plights
Verb
-
The Transportation Department can hold airlines accountable for these commitments and maintains a website that lets travelers see what each airline promises if a major disruption is their fault.—
Matt Nighswander,
NBC news,
24 Jan. 2026
-
The company promises to share information about closures on its website.—
Alexis Simmerman,
Austin American Statesman,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Rustin has slyly given her script a focus on women’s needs and feelings, a welcome departure for a genre that usually is more concerned about the men’s predicaments.—
Matthew J. Palm,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Brooks’s screenplay makes ample space to dump praise upon its protagonist while bemoaning her many predicaments.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Current totals of seven league goals and four assists suggest those early-season tribulations have been vanquished.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Such tribulations have hidden the kind of personal growth that Kerr has undergone as a coach, even if the record does not indicate it.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
25 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Bebo vows the technology will not make any final hiring decisions, one clear line in the sand.—
John Kell,
Fortune,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Senate Republicans plan to vote on a government funding package as soon as Thursday, shrugging off Democrats’ vows to filibuster the legislation unless DHS funding is removed and amended after two fatal Minnesota shootings.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
American military-power projection has depended on bases all around the world, provided by nations that trusted the United States as a partner and have been willing to overlook the inconveniences of hosting American soldiers.—
Robert Kagan,
The Atlantic,
18 Jan. 2026
-
But the Wegovy pill has its own inconveniences, with specific restrictions on when and how to take it.—
Sean Hashmi,
EverydayHealth.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The weather — moods, misunderstandings, frustrations, disappointments — is variable.—
Glenn Kurlander,
Fortune,
28 Jan. 2026
-
In a December meeting, commissioners acknowledged customers’ frustrations, but added that the winds blew down hundreds of power lines onto the dry landscape.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
At the peak of the standoffs between protesters and federal officers on Saturday, airborne chemical irritants were discharged by officers and whistling and shouting were audible on live video from CBS Minnesota.—
Kiki Intarasuwan,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
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More often than not, sneezing is due to respiratory infections, foreign bodies that have gotten into the nasal passages, or various irritants found in the environment.—
Dr. John De Jong,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Its closest competitor, Air India, has been dealing with troubles of its own.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
8 Jan. 2026
-
And God Created Woman, but in recent years, Bardot sparked controversy due to some of her more troubling opinions and faced legal troubles over racist and xenophobic comments.—
Becca Longmire,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plights.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plights. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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