affliction
Americannoun
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afflictions
plural
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a state of pain, distress, or grief; misery.
They sympathized with us in our affliction.
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a cause of mental or bodily pain, as sickness, loss, calamity, or persecution.
- Synonyms:
- disaster, catastrophe, calamity, tribulation, trouble, mishap
noun
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a condition of great distress, pain, or suffering
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something responsible for physical or mental suffering, such as a disease, grief, etc
Usage
What is affliction? Affliction refers to a negative state that could include pain, suffering, or grief, as in The servants watched over the manor while the duke was in a state of affliction following his son’s death. Affliction can also refer to something that causes mental or bodily pain, such as disease or misfortune, as in The captain was bedridden due to a mysterious affliction that the doctor couldn’t identify. Affliction is used similarly to words like adversity, misfortune, and trial, which also describe things that cause suffering or pain. Unlike these words, though, affliction is often used to describe something specifically forced on a person that causes serious emotional effects in addition to other suffering. Example: The man lost his hearing during the accident but has since learned to live with his affliction.
Synonym Usage
Affliction, adversity, misfortune, trial refer to an event or circumstance that is hard to bear. A misfortune is any adverse or unfavorable occurrence: He had the misfortune to break his leg. Affliction suggests not only a serious misfortune but the emotional effect of this: Blindness is an affliction. Adversity suggests a calamity or distress: Job remained patient despite all his adversities. Trial emphasizes the testing of one's character in undergoing misfortunes, trouble, etc.: His son's conduct was a great trial to him.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of affliction
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English affliccioun, from Latin afflīctiōn-, stem of afflīctiō; equivalent to afflict + -ion
Explanation
An affliction makes you suffer, but you have to deal with it anyway. Diseases are often said to be afflictions, but the word can mean just about anything that causes great suffering. The word afflict, which makes up the first part of the word, means to cause this type of trouble. "Tom liked to inflict pain on his brother. His brother considered Tom just one more affliction he had to bear." The word can also be used as an exaggeration of something that isn't so bad––"Homework is often seen as an affliction by students and parents alike."
Vocabulary lists containing affliction
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 1–7
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"Beowulf," Vocabulary from the epic poem
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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.
See Examples For:
The mystery affliction has killed at least 19 pachyderms, mostly females or young males, since June in Kenya -- with all of the animals exhibiting identical symptoms, including partial paralysis.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
In 2005, Florida first got signs of a new affliction in its groves called citrus greening disease.
From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026
Hannah Arendt controversially argued that pity is an “all-devouring passion” that only feeds on affliction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
For Belichick, they say, it's part love of the game, part love for coaching, and part an affliction that has ailed many great sports figures: an inability to know when to say goodbye.
From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026
But there is no preparing for vipers on the doorstep and drums in the forest, calling up an end to a century of affliction.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Like many chronic afflictions, Mets fandom can be hereditary or acquired.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
Burnett never insists that they’re the sane ones, nor does he infantilize Fish and Poinsettia’s afflictions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2025
Meanwhile, physical afflictions can be ameliorated via automated systems that adjust indoor conditions in response to signs of animal distress.
From Salon ● May 15, 2024
For some time, Weinstein has been ailing with a variety of afflictions, including cardiac issues, diabetes, sleep apnea and eye problems.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2024
But the most terrible of the afflictions were men and women with leprosy.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
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.
