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
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
Noun
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plights
Verb
-
With passionate fans, rising stars, and a city embracing the spotlight, March Madness in Sacramento is delivering exactly what its name promises.—
Conor McGill,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Cate Charron Most protests have a few speakers, call and response chants and marches, but Saturday afternoon's event promises a whole lot more.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Journeys that used to take entire seasons were being covered in single episodes, characters survived predicaments that once meant surefire death, and previously relevant factors like supplies, infrastructure, and alliances no longer mattered.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
24 Mar. 2026
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Victorian novels made good use of the predicaments of second and third sons, who had to become ministers or soldiers or schemers, and daughters who needed to be married off according to age.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
-
The novel makes clear the particular tribulations faced by a biracial woman for whom claiming membership in either race inevitably means excluding the other.—
Nicky Marsh,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The husband-and-wife filmmakers behind the Iranian doc short Cutting Through Rocks, who had faced their own tribulations, were right there.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Cambodia passed unprecedented legislation Monday imposing life imprisonment for scam kingpins as the nation vows to eliminate cyber fraud operations by month’s end.—
Sopheng Cheang,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Salieri vows to bring him down.—
Payton Turkeltaub,
Variety,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
These are not minor inconveniences.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
-
With such services suspended, lawmakers traveling on Delta will face the same inconveniences as other passengers.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Lack of communication from airlines during disruptions is a major complaint from customers across carriers, and anything companies can do to alleviate that will help with those frustrations.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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The poll suggests the financial pressure of increasing gas prices in the wake of the US attack on Iran has added to Americans’ financial frustrations.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There certainly are harmful chemicals, carcinogens, toxins, heavy metals, respiratory irritants and other things inside of there that certainly can cause immediate harm.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
That's because these substances accumulate quickly in bedding and create an ideal environment for dust mites and other irritants.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plights.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plights. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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