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
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
Noun
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plights
Verb
-
The association’s language promises equity, but its bylaws do not deliver.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
7 Mar. 2026
-
That's a lot more than the Headphone (1)'s maximum of 80 hours, and even the budget Headphone Pro from Nothing's subsidiary brand CMF which promises 100 hours.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Winning from behind is not sustainable, and the predicaments in which Chelsea have found themselves this week point to other problems.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
-
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
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.—
Kristian Winfield,
Hartford Courant,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Set outside of Carson City, Nevada, during the 1860s on a fictional ranch called Ponderosa, the show followed the adventures and tribulations of the Cartwright family.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The 30-year-old Somali American, who also co-owns a Mediterranean restaurant in the same area experiencing similar economic tribulations, described his coffee shops as local melting pots for Muslims and non-Muslims, East Africans and White people.—
Yahya Salem,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Iran vows revenge for Khamenei killing As word spread of Khamenei’s death, some in Tehran could be seen cheering from rooftops, witnesses said.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Takemikazuchi, the god of thunder, prevails by crushing the arm of Takeminakata, a rival god, who retreats to Lake Suwa and vows never to leave.—
Joshua Hunt,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The venues in Beijing were mostly empty, and the teams were isolated from each other, subject to daily COVID tests and other inconveniences that put a notable damper on the experience.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
11 Feb. 2026
-
There's an affluent half of the population whose financial lives aren't disrupted by momentary inconveniences.—
Jessica Dickler,
CNBC,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Some employees publicly expressed their frustrations.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Some residents expressed their frustrations about the small town’s few voting locations and how the new primary voting location policies might push people away.—
From Staff Reports,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Federal agents clashed with students and staff at the end of the school day, deploying chemical irritants and tackling several people in the encounter.—
Beret Leone,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
-
In that incident, federal agents deployed chemical irritants against protesters and observers in Mueller Park in the Lowry Hill East neighborhood of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.—
Kathryn Kovalenko,
Twin Cities,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plights.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plights. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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