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"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Krik? Krak!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
Affecting at least 130,000 Americans, prurigo nodularis causes dozens of extremely itchy and disfiguring bumps, usually on the chest, arms, and legs.
From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2024
Affecting a very respectable Jonathan Freeman impersonation, Yang said that DeSantis was “an amateur” when it came to villainy: “He has no rizz, no spark, no drip.”
From New York Times • Apr. 9, 2023
Affecting 15,000 people in the UK, sickle cell disease is incurable and requires regular blood transfusions.
From BBC • Nov. 10, 2022
Affecting as it all is, some may find several moments uncomfortably candid.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 12, 2022
The report of Mrs. Florence Kelley, chairman of the Committee on Industrial Problems Affecting Women and Children, was heard with deep interest and feeling.
From The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume V by Harper, Ida Husted
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.
