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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plight
Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2025
Israelis again take to the streets to protest Netanyahu’s handling of the war
The breakdown of the ceasefire has been met with anger in Israel, where many sympathize with the plight of the hostage families.
—Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2025
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
Filmmaker Kenji Yamamoto views their scrappy plight paralleling his own pursuit as a first-time director.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2025
Israelis again take to the streets to protest Netanyahu’s handling of the war
The breakdown of the ceasefire has been met with anger in Israel, where many sympathize with the plight of the hostage families.
—Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2025
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
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In fact, Luton are only four points behind Stoke City, yet another top-flight old boy, in 18th place, so there is a path out of this predicament.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2025
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The predicament got even worse the following day, when Perez’s RB16 stopped on the formation lap and he was forced to start from the pit-lane.—
Dan Cancian,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Kennedy, who listened and then walked arm-in-arm with Charles-Newton for the last leg of the hike, promised to look into the program and whether any funding was being impacted by the HHS-wide restructuring.—
Cheyenne Haslett,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2025
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Whatever wealth is promised here is narrowly disbursed at others’ expense.—
Zoë Schlanger,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Consumer sentiment fell sharply in April, marking the fourth consecutive month of declines, as an intensifying trade war fueled anxiety over American jobs and rising inflation.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2025
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Is loyalty to an old friend and/or anxiety about having a kid reason enough to spend a day or two away from a wife who could go into labor at any minute?—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The county caucus has vowed to expand its efforts beyond the billboard, but did not provide details on what the next phase would look like.—
David Catanese,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2025
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President Donald Trump has vowed to ramp up energy production further, but takes a skeptical view of solar and wind power.—
Alexander C. Kaufman,
The Atlantic,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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On Sunday, March 30, Sukiya apologized again for the inconvenience.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
People.com,
31 Mar. 2025
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The number of matches Hinshelwood has already played would have been higher without the inconvenience of a knee injury, which ruled him out from the beginning of November until the end of January.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Rather than mortgaging the farm system for a name like Cease or Castillo, acquiring Fedde would be safer, albeit a much lower reward, for Cleveland.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
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Enacting real property rights in space would create a marketplace for buying, selling, renting and mortgaging property.—
Wayne N White Jr,
The Conversation,
31 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The two got engaged in 2014 and have remained affianced since.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
Peoplemag,
5 May 2023
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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
Verb
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But since President Donald Trump was sworn into office in January, the department has overhauled its offerings.—
Maria Gracia Santillana Linares,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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Before President Barack Obama was sworn into office in 2009, Benjamin Netanyahu called the Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas out of the blue and asked for a lesson in what was essentially a foreign tongue: the language of Democrats.—
Luke Broadwater,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plight. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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