affecting
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of affecting
Explanation
If the final scene has you sniffling and reaching for the Kleenex, the movie you’re watching could be described as affecting, meaning it makes you emotional. You might be familiar with the noun affect, which refers to a feeling or emotion. Affecting is just the adjective form of that word — so you can probably guess that it describes things that provoke strong feelings or emotions. You might watch an affecting basketball game, for example, or see an affecting performance of a play. The feeling caused by something affecting can be good or bad, happy or sad. The key is that it stirs up a strong feeling.
Vocabulary lists containing affecting
Pay Attention! Synonyms for "Interesting"
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Krik? Krak!
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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.
Hundreds of people have signed a petition urging a city council to consider changes to new park licences affecting a postnatal choir.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
The results indicate that malaria, one of the oldest and most persistent infectious diseases affecting humans, played a major role in shaping settlement patterns.
From Science Daily • May 3, 2026
The group earlier this month set out plans to streamline distribution and sharpen leadership as it looks to weather the storms affecting the spirits sector.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
At its peak, smoke from the underground fire was affecting air quality across Metro Manila, where an "acutely unhealthy" reading was recorded in multiple areas, according to a local monitor.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
Her mother was right: the heat and her pregnancy were affecting her mind.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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.
