plagued 1 of 2

adjective

as in tormented

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plagued

2 of 2

verb

past tense of plague
as in afflicted
to cause persistent suffering to plagued by a cough for all of last week

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 plagued
Verb
Committee delays The county formed a committee, the Advisory Meeting on Public School Capacity, that was supposed to figure out how to fix the problem, but it's been plagued by delays filling its seats and only met for the first time last month. — Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026 His stint with the Bills was plagued by injuries and a Dallas domestic violence case that led to a four-game suspension. — ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026 Airlines around the world are currently plagued by delays in their efforts to deliver new premium offerings — including increasing passenger demand for privacy, high-tech connectivity and inflight entertainment — to meet the surge in air travel. — Edward Russell, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026 Klubnik will need to limit the turnovers that plagued him at Clemson during his final season. — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026 The Championship returns on Friday evening, less than three months after its season-end was plagued by scandal. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026 Policing challenges, the use of facial recognition and a debate over the location have all plagued the event in recent years. — Rebekah Evans, TheWeek, 14 Aug. 2026 Government health officials in Mityana district told NPR the rollout has been plagued by confusion and uncertainty about how many doses would arrive at each health facility. — Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 13 Aug. 2026 Ireland’s museum sector is reportedly plagued by precarious contracts, low pay, unpaid labor, and toxic workplace cultures, driving burnout, excluding talent, and risking the loss of vital institutional knowledge. — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plagued
  1. frustrated
  2. afflicted
  3. aggravated
  4. persecuted
  5. tortured
  6. besieged
  7. tested
  8. cursed
Adjective
  • Giulio, a dissatisfied 16-year-old, drifts through life with no enthusiasm for his education or his future, much to his family’s dismay (particularly his endlessly frustrated mother, brilliantly played by Monica Bellucci).
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Giulio a dissatisfied 16-year-old, drifts through life with no enthusiasm for his education or his future, much to his family’s dismay (particularly his endlessly frustrated mother, brilliantly played by Monica Bellucci).
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of frustrated
Verb
  • Those afflicted would tremble and jerk around, lose the ability to stand or swallow, and, after many months of slow suffering, die.
    — David Remnick, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Repeat this process once the soil has dried again, until affected plants are no longer afflicted with pests.
    — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of afflicted
Adjective
  • He's been charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and theft by taking.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Oklahoma City saw increases in homicides, rapes and robberies, while aggravated assaults only decreased by eight year-over-year.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of aggravated
Verb
  • Although the two programs similarly target humanitarian concerns, being a TPS holder does not guarantee asylum, which requires that applicants prove they’ve been persecuted on specific grounds.
    — Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Aug. 2026
  • In The Bacchae, Dionysus becomes violent only because his existence has been denied and his followers persecuted, and his maenads similarly become destructive only when pursued.
    — Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 31 July 2026
Definition of persecuted
Adjective
  • Wuthering Heights In Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte presents a world of conflicts, frictions between families, passions, and attachments—especially those of Catherine Earnshaw and the tortured Heathcliff—across an untamed landscape.
    — Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Eve resists scream-queen clichés, but Gemma’s boringly typical tortured backstory is as flat as her wan chemistry with Nick.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of tortured
Verb
  • The second was navigating a WNBA game with a lineup besieged by injury.
    — James Boyd, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • An American’s home is among those besieged by Israeli settlers.
    — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of besieged
Adjective
  • Each application is pre-tested and integrated into the platform to reduce deployment time and improve reliability for end users.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 31 July 2026
  • But summer back in New York, amid the fug of the city, requires a return to a tested and true formula.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 22 June 2025
Definition of tested
Verb
  • As a result of her refusal, the entire kingdom is cursed to live without love and anyone who steps foot inside it is also cursed.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Ella is a young woman cursed to obey all instructions whose quest for self-determination also turns her into an advocate for the kingdom’s oppressed elves and ogres.
    — Chris Bellamy, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of cursed

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Cite this Entry

“Plagued.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plagued. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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