noun

plight

plyt

noun

A difficult, distressing situation.

"The charity drew attention to the plight of refugees."

"Nobody seemed to care about the plight of the flood victims."

verb

Archaic: to pledge or promise, especially as part of a marriage vow.

"They plighted their troth before the whole village."

How to Use Plight

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA tough, often desperate, situation someone finds themselves in.

Common mistake

The verb sense ("plight one's troth") survives mainly in the old phrase from wedding traditions and is otherwise archaic.

Common pairings

dire plight the plight of

plighted past tense, plighted past tense, plights plural, plights plural, plights plural, plights singular, plights singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “plight” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Can you complete this real example?

The charity drew attention to the _____ of refugees.

From Old English pliht ("danger, risk"), blended with an Old French word meaning "condition" or "fold." Related to pledge.

ight eight night right fight light might tight sight aught wight ought