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

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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

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 Odd moment plagues fourth quarter As the Knicks held on to their fairly sizable lead, a fan ran onto the court, tried to take a selfie with Wembanyama but was quickly apprehended by security. — Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 4 June 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 That spending staved off a recession at the cost of overheating the economy, contributing to the inflation that still plagues Americans. — Matt Peterson, CNBC, 27 May 2026 That is the perfect representation of the fatigue that plagues my life. — Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 23 May 2026

Noun

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 The good news is prevention of the plagues brought by bugs is possible. — Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 14 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 Its buttery texture melts onto the lips, bypassing the drag and pull that plagues drier drugstore pencils. — Micaela English, Glamour, 30 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plagues

Verb

Researchers estimate that postpartum psychosis — which is more serious and less common than postpartum depression — afflicts 1 to 2 per 1,000 women after delivery.

— Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
That means protections for those who have been vaccinated will weaken and wane as the disease afflicts those who haven’t, threatening public health as a whole.

— New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of afflicts

Noun

The question of defining a measles death hasn't come up much in recent decades because vaccination rates were high and measles illnesses and deaths had become rare.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Aug. 2026
Thousands of people were sickened by foodborne illnesses this summer.

— Dian Zhang, USA Today, 28 Aug. 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

Insecticides Spraying feeders with insecticides may seem like a smart way to keep pests away from bird seed, but these products can cause more harm than good.

— Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 29 Aug. 2026
In one of the findings, bat houses — artificial roosts in urban environments, similar to nest boxes for birds — were doing their job helping to suppress pests on pecan farms in Texas.

— Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of pests

Verb

After Max tortures them in a mock-trial confrontation in their living room, Tom eventually tackles Max into the backyard pool.

— Benjamin VanHoose, PEOPLE, 31 July 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

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plagued

plagues

plaguey

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“Plagues.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plagues. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of plagues

verb

noun

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