affected
1[ uh-fek-tid ]
/ əˈfɛk tɪd /
adjective
acted upon; influenced.
influenced in a harmful way; impaired, harmed, or attacked, as by climate or disease.
(of the mind or feelings) impressed; moved; touched: She was deeply affected by their generosity.
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Words nearby affected
Definition for affected (2 of 4)
affected2
[ uh-fek-tid ]
/ əˈfɛk tɪd /
adjective
assumed artificially; unnatural; feigned: affected sophistication; an affected British accent.
assuming or pretending to possess that which is not natural: Her affected wealth and social pedigree are so obviously false that it's embarrassing.
inclined or disposed: well affected toward the speaker's cause.
held in affection; fancied: a novel much affected by our grandparents.
OTHER WORDS FROM affected
af·fect·ed·ly, adverbaf·fect·ed·ness, nounDefinition for affected (3 of 4)
affect1
[ verb uh-fekt; noun af-ekt ]
/ verb əˈfɛkt; noun ˈæf ɛkt /
verb (used with object)
to act on; produce an effect or change in: Cold weather affected the crops.
to impress the mind or move the feelings of: The music affected him deeply.
(of pain, disease, etc.) to attack or lay hold of.
noun
Psychology. feeling or emotion.
Psychiatry. an expressed or observed emotional response: Restricted, flat, or blunted affect may be a symptom of mental illness, especially schizophrenia.
Obsolete. affection; passion; sensation; inclination; inward disposition or feeling.
Origin of affect
11350–1400; Middle English < Latin affectus acted upon, subjected to; mental or emotional state (past participle and action noun of afficere), equivalent to af- af- + fec- (combining form of facere to make, do) + -tus action noun suffix or -tus past participle suffix
usage note for affect
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.
OTHER WORDS FROM affect
af·fect·a·ble, adjectiveaf·fect·a·bil·i·ty, nounDefinition for affected (4 of 4)
affect2
[ uh-fekt ]
/ əˈfɛkt /
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
Obsolete. to incline, tend, or favor (usually followed by to): He affects to the old ways.
Origin of affect
2usage note for affect
See affect1.
OTHER WORDS FROM affect
af·fect·er, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for affected
British Dictionary definitions for affected (1 of 4)
affected1
/ (əˈfɛktɪd) /
adjective (usually postpositive)
deeply moved, esp by sorrow or griefhe was greatly affected by her departure
changed, esp detrimentally
Word Origin for affected
C17: from affect 1 + -ed ²
British Dictionary definitions for affected (2 of 4)
affected2
/ (əˈfɛktɪd) /
adjective
behaving, speaking, etc, in an artificial or assumed way, esp in order to impress others
feignedaffected indifference
archaic inclined; disposed
Derived forms of affected
affectedly, adverbaffectedness, nounWord Origin for affected
C16: from affect ² + -ed ²
British Dictionary definitions for affected (3 of 4)
affect1
verb (əˈfɛkt) (tr)
to act upon or influence, esp in an adverse waydamp affected the sparking plugs
to move or disturb emotionally or mentallyher death affected him greatly
(of pain, disease, etc) to attack
noun (ˈæfɛkt, əˈfɛkt)
Word Origin for affect
C17: from Latin affectus, past participle of afficere to act upon, from ad- to + facere to do
British Dictionary definitions for affected (4 of 4)
affect2
/ (əˈfɛkt) /
verb (mainly tr)
to put on an appearance or show of; make a pretence ofto affect ignorance
to imitate or assume, esp pretentiouslyto affect an accent
to have or use by preferenceshe always affects funereal clothing
to adopt the character, manner, etc, ofhe was always affecting the politician
(of plants or animals) to live or grow inpenguins affect an arctic climate
to incline naturally or habitually towardsfalling drops of liquid affect roundness
Word Origin for affect
C15: from Latin affectāre to strive after, pretend to have; related to afficere to affect 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical definitions for affected
affect
[ ə-fĕkt′ ]
v.
To have an influence on or affect a change in.
To attack or infect, as a disease.
n.
Feeling or emotion, especially as manifested by facial expression or body language.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.