affected¹

[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.

Origin of affected¹

First recorded in 1570–80; affect¹ + -ed²

affected²

[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 affected²

First recorded in 1525–35; affect² + -ed²

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

affect¹

[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 affect¹

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

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

Synonyms

See more synonyms for affect on Thesaurus.com

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

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.

affect²

[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.
1. to have affection for; fancy.
2. 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 affect²

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

Related formsaf·fect·er, noun

Synonyms

See more synonyms for affect on Thesaurus.com

1. See pretend.

Usage note

See affect¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for affected

Contemporary Examples

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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples

They affected that they never habitually thought of lesser concerns.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
She stood aghast all this time, partly with real, partly with affected, surprise.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
I said, that I should not be affected by the splendour of even a royal title.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
Like many of the courtiers, Mistress Fitton affected the society of the players.
The Man Shakespeare
Frank Harris
Cadge thinks me still betrothed to John, so she affected to misunderstand.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark

British Dictionary definitions for affected

affected¹

adjective (usually postpositive)

deeply moved, esp by sorrow or griefhe was greatly affected by her departure
changed, esp detrimentally

Word Origin

C17: from affect 1 + -ed ²

affected²

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

C16: from affect ² + -ed ²

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)

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

Word Origin

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

affect²

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

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

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

n.

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.

affected in Medicine

affect

(ə-fĕkt′)

To have an influence on or affect a change in.
To attack or infect, as a disease.

Feeling or emotion, especially as manifested by facial expression or body language.

affected.css-pdubzd{font-size:17px;vertical-align:super;}1

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}affected1

affected2

Origin of affected2

affect1

Origin of affect1

Synonyms

Usage note

affect2

Origin of affect2

Synonyms

Usage note

Examples from the Web for affected

Contemporary Examples

He affected an anchorman finesse in apologizing for “past mistakes” as a Ku Klux Klan leader.

According to the AP, as of October, there were only four people still alive who be affected by this legislation.

Only now, when we were able to talk frankly and at length, did I come to realize how profoundly it had affected him.

In 2007, FWS reported that the beetle outbreak had affected only 16 percent of the whitebark pines.

The government subsequently revised its estimate, saying that 74 percent of the trees had been affected.

Historical Examples

They affected that they never habitually thought of lesser concerns.

She stood aghast all this time, partly with real, partly with affected, surprise.

I said, that I should not be affected by the splendour of even a royal title.

Like many of the courtiers, Mistress Fitton affected the society of the players.

Cadge thinks me still betrothed to John, so she affected to misunderstand.

affected1

Word Origin

affected2

Word Origin

affect1

Word Origin

affect2

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for affected

adj.

affect

v.1

affect

n.

affect

v.2

affect

affected¹

Origin of affected¹

affected²

Origin of affected²

affect¹

Origin of affect¹

affect²

Origin of affect²

affected¹

affected²

affect¹

affect²