affected

¹ American  

[uh-fek-tid] / əˈfɛk tɪd /

adjective

1. acted upon; influenced.

2. influenced in a harmful way; impaired, harmed, or attacked, as by climate or disease.

3. (of the mind or feelings) impressed; moved; touched.

   She was deeply affected by their generosity.

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affected ² American  

[uh-fek-tid] / əˈfɛk tɪd /

adjective

1. assumed artificially; unnatural; feigned.

   affected sophistication; an affected British accent.

2. assuming or pretending to possess that which is not natural.

   Her affected wealth and social pedigree are so obviously false that it's embarrassing.

3. inclined or disposed.

   well affected toward the speaker's cause.

4. held in affection; fancied.

   a novel much affected by our grandparents.

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affected ¹ British  

/ əˈfɛktɪd /

adjective

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

2. feigned

   affected indifference

3. archaic inclined; disposed

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affected ² British  

/ əˈfɛktɪd /

adjective

1. deeply moved, esp by sorrow or grief

   he was greatly affected by her departure

2. changed, esp detrimentally

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Other Word Forms

• affectedly adverb
• affectedness noun

Etymology

Origin of affected¹

First recorded in 1570–80; affect ¹ + -ed ²

Origin of affected²

First recorded in 1525–35; affect ² + -ed ²

Explanation

Something that's affected is influenced or acted upon. If a bottle of ointment says "apply to the affected area," you should put the medication only on the parts of your skin that touched the poison ivy. One of the most common vocabulary mix-ups is effect and affect: effect is usually a noun, and affect is usually a verb that means "to influence" of "act upon." Affected is the adjective form of the verb. After a flood, affected homeowners might try to get insurance. A sad movie might leave you deeply affected. The word can also refer to behavior that's done only to impress someone: if you're acting affected, you might use big, fake melodramatic gestures.

Example Sentences

She added that the war in the Middle East had "massively" affected her decision to stay closer to home.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

If any of the content from this case has affected you, please visit the BBC Action Line.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

That’s because refining cracks are very high, particularly for middle distillates, which will be less affected by the fire, analyst Michael Simotas says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Of the people experiencing homelessness in the affected communities who were surveyed in the study, more than three-quarters reported injuries or other major disruptions to their lives because of the fires.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

Autonomous tribal towns made decisions about trade and relations with other groups, but in some political and social matters, the towns worked together as a confederacy to make decisions that affected all of their members.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Related Words

• afflicted
• concerned
• damaged
• distressed
• impressed
• overwhelmed
• stirred
• touched
• troubled