affected

[uh-fek-tid]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR affected ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

Origin of affected

First recorded in 1570–80; affect¹ + -ed²

affected

[uh-fek-tid]

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.

Origin of affected

First recorded in 1525–35; affect² + -ed²

Related formsaf·fect·ed·ly, adverbaf·fect·ed·ness, noun

affect

[verb uh-fekt; noun af-ekt]

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

1350–1400; 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

SYNONYMS FOR affect

1. influence, sway; modify, alter. 2. touch, stir.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR affect ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsaf·fect·a·ble, adjectiveaf·fect·a·bil·i·ty, noun

Usage note

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.

affect

[uh-fekt]

verb (used with object)

to give the appearance of; pretend or feign: to affect knowledge of the situation.

to assume artificially, pretentiously, or for effect: to affect a Southern accent.

to use, wear, or adopt by preference; choose; prefer: the peculiar costume he affected.

to assume the character or attitude of: to affect the freethinker.

(of things) to tend toward habitually or naturally: a substance that affects colloidal form.

(of animals and plants) to occupy or inhabit; live in or on: Lions affect Africa. Moss affects the northern slopes.

Archaic.

to have affection for; fancy.
to aim at; aspire to.

verb (used without object)

Obsolete. to incline, tend, or favor (usually followed by to): He affects to the old ways.

Origin of affect

1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French affecter < Latin affectāre to strive after, feign (frequentative of afficere to do to), equivalent to af- af- + fec- (see affect¹) + -tāre frequentative suffix

SYNONYMS FOR affect

1. See pretend.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR affect ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsaf·fect·er, noun

Usage note

See affect¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for affected

He affected an anchorman finesse in apologizing for “past mistakes” as a Ku Klux Klan leader.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
According to the AP, as of October, there were only four people still alive who be affected by this legislation.
Nazis, Sunscreen, and Sea Gull Eggs: Congress in 2014 Was Hella Productive|Ben Jacobs|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Only now, when we were able to talk frankly and at length, did I come to realize how profoundly it had affected him.
Ted Hughes’s Brother on Losing Sylvia Plath|Gerald Hughes|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2007, FWS reported that the beetle outbreak had affected only 16 percent of the whitebark pines.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The government subsequently revised its estimate, saying that 74 percent of the trees had been affected.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No ceremonies I ever beheld impressed and affected me so much as the burial of the little twins at sea.
Five Years in New Zealand|Robert B. Booth
The durability of fur used as linings, which is affected by other conditions, is set forth separately.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3|Various
This was the first officer of our own set our city lost in war, and the news, I think, affected me more than any.
Hugh Wynne, Free Quaker|S. Weir Mitchell
She humored him, and affected a great interest in all this, and had not the courage to force the other topic on.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 102, April, 1866|Various
All four of us were stricken with surprise at how it affected us.
Astounding Stories, July, 1931|Various

British Dictionary definitions for affected

affected

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

adjective

behaving, speaking, etc, in an artificial or assumed way, esp in order to impress others

feignedaffected indifference

archaic inclined; disposed

Derived Formsaffectedly, adverbaffectedness, noun

Word Origin for affected

C16: from affect ² + -ed ²

affect

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)

psychol the emotion associated with an idea or set of ideasSee also affection

Word Origin for affect

C17: from Latin affectus, past participle of afficere to act upon, from ad- to + facere to do

affect

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

Word Origin and History for affected

affected

adj.

past participle adjective from affect (v.2); 1530s in the now-obsolete sense "favorably disposed" (preserved in disaffected); meaning "artificially displayed" is recorded from 1580s.

affect

v.1

"to make an impression on," 1630s; earlier "to attack" (c.1600), "act upon, infect" (early 15c.), from affect (n.). Related: Affected; affecting.

affect

late 14c., "mental state," from Latin noun use of affectus "furnished, supplied, endowed," figuratively "disposed, constituted, inclined," past participle of afficere "to do; treat, use, manage, handle; act on; have influence on, do something to," a verb of broad meaning, from ad- "to" (see ad-) + facere (past participle factus) "do" (see factitious). Perhaps obsolete except in psychology. Related: Affects.

affect

v.2

"to make a pretense of," 1660s, earlier "to assume the character of (someone)" (1590s); originally in English "to aim at, aspire to, desire" (early 15c.), from Middle French affecter (15c.), from Latin affectare "to strive after, aim at," frequentative of afficere (past participle affectus) "to do something to, act on" (see affect (n.)). Related: Affected; affecting.

Medicine 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.

affected

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of affected

affected

adjective

Origin of affected

affect

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of affect

Usage note

affect

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of affect

Usage note

Examples from the Web for affected

affected

adjective (usually postpositive)

Word Origin for affected

adjective

Word Origin for affected

affect

verb (əˈfɛkt) (tr)

noun (ˈæfɛkt, əˈfɛkt)

Word Origin for affect

affect

verb (mainly tr)

Word Origin for affect

affected

affect

affect

affect

affect

v.

n.