Plants under adverse environmental conditions try to combat abiotic and biotic stress by making use of adaptive strategies. One such mechanisms employs low molecular weight compounds called osmoprotectants that work under various stress conditions. There are different types of osmoprotectants, which for convenience are grouped into various classes, such as sugars (e.g., sucrose, sorbitol, trehalose), sugar alcohols (e.g., myo-inositols), amino acids (e.g., proline), polyamines (e.g., spermidine, spermine, putrescine), betaines (e.g., glycine betaine), and. These osmoprotectants defend plants from scavenging ROS (reactive oxygen species) that are generated due to stresses. They activate chaperone- like proteins that help in the maintenance of membrane structures and protein activities. Therefore, it is important to be aware of regulation of osmoprotectant-related genes that confer protection to plants to respond to various stresses. In the present review, we have given a brief account of abiotic stress factors challenging plants and how plants respond to them by citing recent literatures related to role of osmoprotectants.