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Synonyms

affecting

American  
[uh-fek-ting] / əˈfɛk tɪŋ /

adjective

  1. moving or exciting the feelings or emotions.

    Synonyms:
    piteous, pathetic, pathetic, touching, stirring
affecting British  
/ əˈfɛktɪŋ /

adjective

  1. evoking feelings of pity, sympathy, or pathos; moving

"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

Other Word Forms

  • affectingly adverb
  • nonaffecting adjective
  • nonaffectingly adverb
  • unaffecting adjective

Etymology

Origin of affecting

First recorded in 1555–65; affect 1 + -ing 2

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.

These changes are likely affecting salinity, nutrient cycles, and food webs in the Beaufort Sea.

From Science Daily • Apr. 4, 2026

And here, Orsolya’s sincere if haphazard search for understanding, visible in every fiber of Tompa’s affecting central performance, cleverly lets Jude expose the insufficiency in quick fixes.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

She started donating after Nigel underwent life saving surgery as a baby to treat pyloric stenosis, a serious condition affecting newborns where the passage between the stomach and the small bowel becomes narrower.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Some travelers are asking that question, given the concerns about how the ongoing conflict in Iran is affecting the oil market and in turn, fuel prices —think $4-a-gallon gas.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

Hades’s aura was affecting me, just as Ares’s had.

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

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.