Standard Lemma guide

plight

noun · verb · 17 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • plīt
  • /plaɪt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aɪt
  • CMU ARPABET: P L AY1 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A dire or unfortunate situation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A (neutral) condition or state.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Good health.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Responsibility for ensuing consequences; risk; danger; peril.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dialectal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

An instance of danger or peril; a dangerous moment or situation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dialectal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Blame; culpability; fault; wrong-doing; sin; crime.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dialectal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

One's office; duty; charge.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dialectal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

That which is exposed to risk; that which is plighted or pledged; security; a gage; a pledge.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

A network; a plait; a fold; rarely a garment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

To nominate an object of value as a security against a promise; to pledge something, as one's faith, trust, allegiance, or something symbolic of this.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

verb

Meaning 11

Specifically, to pledge (one's troth etc.) as part of a marriage ceremony.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

verb

Meaning 12

To promise (oneself) to someone, or to do something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: reflexive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

verb

Meaning 13

To weave; to braid; to fold; to plait.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

noun

Meaning 14

a solemn pledge of fidelity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: troth

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: assurance, pledge

15

noun

Meaning 15

a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • finds himself in a most awkward predicament
  • the woeful plight of homeless people

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: predicament, quandary

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: difficulty

Narrower terms: care, corner, box, hot water

16

verb

Meaning 16

promise solemnly and formally

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I pledge that I will honor my wife

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pledge

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: promise, assure

Narrower terms: vow, guarantee, vouch, covenant

17

verb

Meaning 17

give to in marriage

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: betroth, engage, affiance

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: vow

History

Etymology

From Middle English plit (“fold, wrinkle, bad situation”), conflation of Middle English pliht, plight (“risky promise, peril”) (from Old English pliht "danger, risk"; see Etymology 2) and Anglo-Norman plit, plyte (“fold, condition”), from Old French pleit (“condition, manner of folding”) (from Vulgar Latin *plictum, from Latin plicitum (“fold”)).

From Middle English plight (“risk, danger”), from Old English pliht (“peril, risk, danger, damage, plight”), from Proto-West Germanic *plihti (“care, responsibility, duty”). A suffixed form of the root represented by Old English pleoh (“risk, danger, hurt, peril"; also "responsibility”) and plēon (“to endanger, risk”). Akin to Old English plihtan (“to endanger, compromise”). Cognate with Scots plicht (“responsibility, plight”), Dutch plicht, Low German Plicht (“duty”), German Pflicht (“duty”), Danish pligt (“duty”), Yiddish פֿליכט (flikht). More at pledge.

From Middle English pliȝt, plight, plyt, pleit, from Anglo-Norman pleit (“pleat, fold”). More at plait.

From Middle English plyghten, plyȝten, pleyȝten, pleiten, pliten, from the noun (see below).

Across languages

Translations

45 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: притеснение (pritesnenie) — unfortunate situation
  • Catalan: tràngol — unfortunate situation
  • Chinese Mandarin: 困境 (Kùnjìng) — unfortunate situation
  • Chinese Mandarin: 险境 (xiǎnjìng) — unfortunate situation
  • Czech: tíživá situace — unfortunate situation
  • Czech: těžký úděl — unfortunate situation
  • Dutch: benarde toestand — unfortunate situation
  • Finnish: ahdinko — unfortunate situation
  • French: situation désespérée — unfortunate situation
  • German: Misere — unfortunate situation
  • German: Notlage — unfortunate situation
  • German: Bedrängnis — unfortunate situation
  • Hungarian: nehéz/szorult/sanyarú helyzet — unfortunate situation
  • Hungarian: megszorultság — unfortunate situation
  • Italian: difficoltà — unfortunate situation
  • Italian: brutta situazione — unfortunate situation
  • Malayalam: ദുരവസ്ഥ (duravastha) — unfortunate situation
  • Norwegian: knipe — unfortunate situation
  • Norwegian: kinkig — unfortunate situation
  • Norwegian: situasjon — unfortunate situation
  • Polish: kłopoty — unfortunate situation
  • Polish: tarapaty — unfortunate situation
  • Portuguese: dificuldade — unfortunate situation
  • Portuguese: apuro — unfortunate situation
  • Serbo-Croatian: nedaća — unfortunate situation
  • Spanish: aprieto — unfortunate situation
  • Spanish: tribulación — unfortunate situation
  • Spanish: crisis — unfortunate situation
  • Spanish: viacrucis — unfortunate situation
  • Spanish: calvario — unfortunate situation
  • Spanish: atrenzo — unfortunate situation
  • Bulgarian: състояние (sǎstojanie) — condition or state
  • Dutch: toestand — condition or state
  • Finnish: tilanne — condition or state
  • German: Zustand — condition or state
  • Russian: положе́ние (položénije) — condition or state
  • Russian: состоя́ние (sostojánije) — condition or state
  • Serbo-Croatian: stanje — condition or state
  • Finnish: panos — that which is exposed to risk
  • Finnish: sijoitus — that which is exposed to risk
  • Finnish: vakuus — that which is exposed to risk
  • Finnish: vastuu — that which is exposed to risk
  • Finnish: lupaus — that which is exposed to risk
  • Czech: přislíbit — to pledge
  • Czech: slíbit — to pledge
Real reading context

plight in complete knowledge articles