PLAGUES Synonyms: 107 Similar and Opposite Words

plagues 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of plague

as in afflicts

to cause persistent suffering to plagued by a cough for all of last week

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

plagues

2 of 2

noun

plural of plague

as in epidemics

a widespread disease resulting in a high rate of death the Black Death was a plague that killed about one third of Europe's population in the Middle Ages

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 plagues

Verb

The depression that plagues him in winters is nowhere to be found. — David MacK, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026 Walker, who leads the NFL with 360 rushing yards, also is adept at avoiding an issue that plagues many ball carriers and receivers in the NFL. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026 What plagues America right now, in Cox’s telling, is not bad manners, or even political division, but contempt—the conviction that those who don’t share our opinions or values are beneath us and unworthy of good-faith engagement. — Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026 Yet the monopolisation that plagues other top tiers, while not as stark in England, is creeping in. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026 Too often, this means taxpayer dollars are fueling the very gun violence that plagues neighborhoods and communities nationwide. — Kris Brown, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026 No, what plagues the Padres is so much deeper. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2026 Early has been significantly better on the road than at home this year, a problem that plagues the team as a whole. — Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 3 June 2026 Alas, Schwarzenegger gave the job to Abel Maldonado, now best remembered for advancing the top-two election system that plagues California. — Joe Mathews, Mercury News, 2 June 2026

Noun

Two-inch straps tipped with zinc alloy hooks lock the cover down and cut back on the constant readjusting that plagues cheaper slipcovers. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2026 Pneumonic plague is one of three types of plagues that are caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026 Most people go to campgrounds to escape the plagues of modern technology, so try to keep the decibels to a minimum. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 The deadliest animal to have ever roamed the earth is not the great white shark, or snakes, or even rats that caused three great plagues in history, decimating the human population at the time. — New Atlas, 26 July 2026 How many malodorously toxic episodes does that make toward the seven plagues in the Old Testament? — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026 Many of them, like Tubbs, were refugee Midwesterners, sick of parching droughts and devouring plagues of locusts, the insects descending in buzzing clouds thick enough to blacken the noonday sun. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026 The nets, for the most part, stay out consistently, says Roos, though they are checked regularly, every few days, which prevents not only the algae problem that plagues farmed fish, but also fishermen, as well. — Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 June 2026 But there's evidence that earlier plagues were just as deadly. — ABC News, 17 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plagues

Verb

Ortega brings the right wide-eyed wonder to this kindly android that just wants to be Josie’s pal, having no idea about a secret medical condition that afflicts Josie.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Speaking to Variety ahead of the market, Mackinnon says the show takes its title from the chronic burnout that afflicts emergency workers on the job.

— Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of afflicts

Noun

No illnesses have been reported so far, according to the recall notice.

— Hali Smith, Idaho Statesman, 23 Oct. 2026
Likewise, the agents that cause illnesses such as COVID-19, influenza, mumps, pertussis, and strep throat can be transmitted as heavy droplets that land on mucous membranes.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of illnesses

Verb

China, which jails human rights activists in Hong Kong, persecutes Uyghurs, has killed hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and has committed genocide against the Falun Gong, is on the UN Human Rights Council.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.

— Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025

Definition of persecutes

Noun

Trimming plants down to about six or eight inches can promote healthy growth in the spring and help prevent pests and diseases from infiltrating.

— Macie Stump, Southern Living, 22 Oct. 2026
Direct ownership is highly illiquid and comes with management costs, property taxes, harvesting expenses, exposure to local timber markets, and risks including wildfire, pests, disease and trespassers hunting or cutting trees.

— Kevin Williams, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of pests

Verb

At first, all signs point to Bobby, including a mercenary who survived the attack on Halstead Manor that Eddie tortures to extract information.

— Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
On his latest Hyperdub release, the Japanese producer born Takahide Higuchi sings more than on previous records but tortures his voice through a gauntlet of pitch-shifter effects.

— Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 27 July 2026

Definition of tortures

Verb

In one of the film's most surprising sequences, his character golfs the best game of his life during a terrifying storm, misses a putt, curses God, and gets struck by lightning.

— Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 28 May 2026
Unclear if Instagram curses are transferrable.

— Clio Chang, Curbed, 18 Dec. 2025

Definition of curses

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plagued

plagues

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Style

“Plagues.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plagues. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of plagues

verb

noun

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