What does plagued mean?
Plagued describes a condition of persistent, unwelcome trouble. In its most common modern use, it means beset by difficulties, worries, or repeated disruptions: a service may be plagued by outages, or a person may feel plagued by doubt. The wording is stronger than simply “troubled” and often suggests that the problem recurs or resists an easy remedy. Its original literal meaning, being affected by plague, remains important in historical and medical contexts but is less frequent in ordinary speech. Because “plagued” is both the past tense and past participle of “plague,” it can complete a narrative construction, as in “the town was plagued by fever,” or function as an adjective, as in “a region plagued by drought.” The word is equally natural in British and American English and can describe people, places, institutions, or things.
Plagued is the past tense and past participle of plague, meaning to afflict with disease or repeatedly trouble, torment, or obstruct.
"The engineers were plagued by recurring system failures."
The figurative sense is common in both formal and informal English. The literal disease-related sense is now chiefly historical or medical.
Afflicted with plague or, figuratively, beset by persistent troubles, worries, or recurring problems.
"The company remained plagued by financial uncertainty despite its strong sales."
From Latin plaga, meaning “blow or stroke,” “plagued” grew from the idea of calamity striking repeatedly—a meaning now visible in everyday phrases such as “plagued by delays.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does plagued come from?
English “plague” came through Middle English from Old French plage and ultimately from Latin plaga, an ancient word associated with a blow, stroke, or stripe. The sense developed into that of a calamity or widespread destructive disease, and “plagued” was formed as the past tense and past participle of “plague.” Figuratively, “to plague” came to mean to trouble or torment someone persistently, while “plagued” describes the resulting condition.
Related word forms
How plagued is actually used
The figurative use is informal to neutral and often conveys irritation, exasperation, or a sense that problems keep recurring. The literal medical sense is uncommon outside historical writing and specialist discussion. There are no notable differences between British and American usage.