affect
1 Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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Psychology. feeling or emotion.
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Psychiatry. an expressed or observed emotional response.
Restricted, flat, or blunted affect may be a symptom of mental illness, especially schizophrenia.
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Obsolete. affection; passion; sensation; inclination; inward disposition or feeling.
verb (used with object)
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to give the appearance of; pretend or feign.
to affect knowledge of the situation.
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to assume artificially, pretentiously, or for effect.
to affect a Southern accent.
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to use, wear, or adopt by preference; choose; prefer.
the peculiar costume he affected.
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to assume the character or attitude of.
to affect the freethinker.
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(of things) to tend toward habitually or naturally.
a substance that affects colloidal form.
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(of animals and plants) to occupy or inhabit; live in or on.
Lions affect Africa. Moss affects the northern slopes.
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Archaic.
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to have affection for; fancy.
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to aim at; aspire to.
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verb (used without object)
verb
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to put on an appearance or show of; make a pretence of
to affect ignorance
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to imitate or assume, esp pretentiously
to affect an accent
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to have or use by preference
she always affects funereal clothing
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to adopt the character, manner, etc, of
he was always affecting the politician
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(of plants or animals) to live or grow in
penguins affect an arctic climate
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to incline naturally or habitually towards
falling drops of liquid affect roundness
verb
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to act upon or influence, esp in an adverse way
damp affected the sparking plugs
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to move or disturb emotionally or mentally
her death affected him greatly
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(of pain, disease, etc) to attack
noun
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.
Related Words
See pretend.
Other Word Forms
- affectability noun
- affectable adjective
- affecter noun
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; 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- ( affect 1 ) + -tāre frequentative suffix
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.
Ministers later asked all 63 councils affected by the reorganisation if they required a delay to the elections due this year.
From BBC
Leaders from the other four states affected by this freeze are questioning why their funding is being cut off.
From Salon
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled at several airports, while Eurostar services and haulage have also been affected.
From BBC
Schools, hospitals and care homes are among the tens of thousands of properties which were affected in south-west Berlin.
From BBC
The 26-year-old was one of many young drivers who spoke to the BBC about how the proposed changes could affect them.
From BBC
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.
