affecting
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of affecting
Explanation
If the final scene has you sniffling and reaching for the Kleenex, the movie you’re watching could be described as affecting, meaning it makes you emotional. You might be familiar with the noun affect, which refers to a feeling or emotion. Affecting is just the adjective form of that word — so you can probably guess that it describes things that provoke strong feelings or emotions. You might watch an affecting basketball game, for example, or see an affecting performance of a play. The feeling caused by something affecting can be good or bad, happy or sad. The key is that it stirs up a strong feeling.
Vocabulary lists containing affecting
Pay Attention! Synonyms for "Interesting"
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Krik? Krak!
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This new object is another with a very elliptical orbit, but it is stabler than 2017 OF201, which suggests that no large planet, including a hypothetical planet nine, is significantly affecting its path.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
Demand for semiconductor chips used for memory storage is now so high that it’s causing shortages and price spikes—and that is affecting producer costs.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
Housing was the single biggest driver behind demand accounting for more than 1,000 cases and affecting 474 clients.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
Meliá said its decision to close 15 hotels was driven by circumstances beyond the firm’s control, noting that most were already closed “due to the energy challenges and the decline in demand” affecting the island.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
“What’s this, Nell? Maybe it’s the pandemonium that comes and goes around us affecting my hearing. But from what I can tell by the sound of it, your boots aren’t making their usual heavy thumping.”
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
