plague

悩ませる、苦しめる

人や物事に繰り返し問題や苦痛、不安をもたらす。

やさしい英語で： To keep causing someone or something problems, pain, or worry.

• Doubts plague him every day.
• Technical problems plagued the new website.
• She kept plaguing me with questions about the trip.

使い方： be plagued by something (The project was plagued by delays.); be plagued with something (She was plagued with doubts.)

類義語： trouble, bother, torment

よく使う表現： plague someone, plague a project, plague someone with questions

苦しめる、襲う

病気や災害が人々を襲い、苦しめる。

やさしい英語で： To cause people to suffer from a disease or disaster.

• Disease plagued the village.
• Repeated droughts have plagued the region for years.
• The settlers were plagued by fever throughout the winter.

使い方： be plagued by something (The region was plagued by famine.)

類義語： afflict, ravage

よく使う表現： plague a region, plague a community

ペスト

細菌が原因で、ノミが広めることが多い、命を奪うこともある重い病気。

やさしい英語で： A serious disease caused by bacteria, often spread by fleas, that can kill people.

• Plague spread through the town.
• Many people died of plague during the outbreak.
• The doctor suspected that the patient had plague.

類義語： bubonic plague

よく使う表現： bubonic plague, plague outbreak, die of plague

大量発生、虫害

虫や動物が異常に多く発生して、その場所に害を与えること。

やさしい英語で： An unusually large number of insects or animals that damage a place.

• A plague of mice ruined the grain.
• Farmers faced a plague of locusts last summer.
• The island suffered another insect plague.

使い方： a plague of something (A plague of locusts destroyed the wheat.)

類義語： infestation

よく使う表現： plague of locusts, plague of rats, insect plague

災厄、災い

多くの人を苦しめる災害や悪い状況。神の罰とされることもある。

やさしい英語で： A disaster or harmful condition that affects many people, sometimes understood as punishment from God.

• Famine became a plague upon the land.
• They believed the drought was a plague sent by God.
• The story describes ten plagues that struck an ancient kingdom.

使い方： a plague of something (The country suffered a plague of violence.)

類義語： scourge, calamity, affliction

よく使う表現： terrible plague, plague upon someone, plague of violence

厄介者、迷惑

ひどく迷惑をかけたり、面倒を起こしたりする人や物。

やさしい英語で： A person or thing that causes great annoyance or trouble.

• That boy is a plague.
• Her endless questions became a plague to the whole household.
• These noisy visitors are a real plague.

使い方： a plague to someone (That noisy boy is a plague to his neighbours.)

類義語： nuisance, pest, bother

よく使う表現： a real plague, plague to someone