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Affect (in the noun sense) is commonly studied in which field?

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affect

¹ American  

[uh-fekt, af-ekt] / əˈfɛkt, ˈæf ɛkt /

verb (used with object)

1. to act on; produce an effect or change in.

   Cold weather affected the crops.

   Synonyms:

   alter, modify, sway, influence

2. to impress the mind or move the feelings of.

   The music affected him deeply.

   Synonyms:

   stir, touch

3. (of pain, disease, etc.) to attack or lay hold of.

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noun

• affects
  plural

1. Psychology. feeling or emotion.

2. Psychiatry. an expressed or observed emotional response.

   Restricted, flat, or blunted affect may be a symptom of mental illness, especially schizophrenia.

3. Obsolete. affection; passion; sensation; inclination; inward disposition or feeling.

affect ² American  

[uh-fekt] / əˈfɛkt /

verb (used with object)

1. to give the appearance of; pretend or feign.

   to affect knowledge of the situation.

2. to assume artificially, pretentiously, or for effect.

   to affect a Southern accent.

3. to use, wear, or adopt by preference; choose; prefer.

   the peculiar costume he affected.

4. to assume the character or attitude of.

   to affect the freethinker.

5. (of things) to tend toward habitually or naturally.

   a substance that affects colloidal form.

6. (of animals and plants) to occupy or inhabit; live in or on.

   Lions affect Africa. Moss affects the northern slopes.

7. Archaic.

   1. to have affection for; fancy.

   2. to aim at; aspire to.

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verb (used without object)

1. Obsolete. to incline, tend, or favor (usually followed byto ).

   He affects to the old ways.

affect ¹ British  

/ əˈfɛkt /

verb

1. to put on an appearance or show of; make a pretence of

   to affect ignorance

2. to imitate or assume, esp pretentiously

   to affect an accent

3. to have or use by preference

   she always affects funereal clothing

4. to adopt the character, manner, etc, of

   he was always affecting the politician

5. (of plants or animals) to live or grow in

   penguins affect an arctic climate

6. to incline naturally or habitually towards

   falling drops of liquid affect roundness

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affect ² British  

verb

1. to act upon or influence, esp in an adverse way

   damp affected the sparking plugs

2. to move or disturb emotionally or mentally

   her death affected him greatly

3. (of pain, disease, etc) to attack

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noun

1. psychol the emotion associated with an idea or set of ideas See also affection

Usage

What's the difference between affect and effect? Affect is most commonly used as a verb meaning to act on or produce a change in someone or something. Effect is most commonly used as a noun meaning a result or consequence. Remembering the difference between the words can be especially hard because these senses of the words have just about the same pronunciation. Complicating things further is the fact that affect can also be used as a noun (referring to a state of emotion, as in He had a sad affect) and effect can also be used as a verb (meaning to make happen, as in We can only effect change by taking action). However, these senses of the words are much less commonly used. You can remember that affect is most commonly used as a verb because it begins with a, for action. You can also remember how affect and effect are most commonly used by using the acronym RAVEN:R = RememberA = Affect is aV = VerbE = Effect is aN = NounHere’s an example of affect and effect used correctly in the same sentence. Example: It’s unclear what immediate effects the new law will have or how it will affect future generations. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between affect and effect.

Commonly Confused

Affect1 and effect, each both noun and verb, share the sense of “influence,” and because of their similarity in pronunciation are sometimes confused in writing. As a verb affect1 means “to act on” or “to move” ( His words affected the crowd so deeply that many wept ); affect2 means “to pretend” or “to assume” ( new students affecting a nonchalance they didn't feel ). The verb effect means “to bring about, accomplish”: Her administration effected radical changes. The noun effect means “result, consequence”: the serious effects of the oil spill. The noun affect1 pronounced with the stress on the first syllable, is a technical term in psychology and psychiatry. Affect2 is not used as a noun.

See affect ¹.

Synonym Usage

See pretend.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• affectability
  noun
• affecter
  noun
• affectable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• affects
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of affect¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin affectus “acted upon, subjected to; mental or emotional state” (past participle and action noun of afficere ), equivalent to af- “toward” + fec- (combining form of facere “to make, do”) + -tus action noun suffix or -tus past participle suffix; see af-

Origin of affect²

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French affecter, from Latin affectāre “to strive after, feign” (frequentative of afficere “to do to”), equivalent to af- af- + fec- ( see affect ¹) + -tāre frequentative suffix

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Explanation

Affect is most often used as a verb meaning “to have an impact on,” as in “The tornado barreling towards us will affect our picnic plans.” As a verb, affect can also mean “to feign an appearance,” as in, “Don’t let that surfer’s California accent fool you. Although she affects a convincing ‘Dude, that was rad,’ she is from Minnesota and just moved out West last month.” Don’t let that affect your friendship, though, she’s probably really fun.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

affect affects

The team found that even a particle with extremely weak interactions could indirectly affect the conditions under which matter gained its crucial advantage.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026

That's a worry that Fontes shares, saying it could affect both parties.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

PRT also would broaden public insight into how lease agreements with the port affect the local workforce.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

Analysts say the company’s new plan to shift to a logged-in user experience is likely to take time — and will probably continue to affect revenue in the process.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

He hoped the act of thinking the song would affect the water bottle.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

These conditions included cardiovascular disease, which affects the heart and blood vessels, and cerebrovascular disease, which involves blood vessels that supply the brain.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026

Albinism affects the production of melanin, which can affect eyesight as well as they way people with the condition look.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

Cardiovascular disease, which includes conditions such as heart disease or stroke, is a leading cause of death and affects around 800,000 people in Scotland.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

"It affects the water and sanitation policy. It affects socio-economic development because any form of development must benefit the community," he told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

Furstenberg, an expert on how urban poverty affects families, told her that the Times should think of “doing class.”

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

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Related Words

• alter
• change
• disturb
• influence
• interest
• involve
• touch
• upset

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