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.
Adding too much potassium salt can produce an unpleasant metallic taste, limiting how much can be used without affecting flavor.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
A conservationist has welcomed new laws banning the sale of lead ammunition as she warns people are not aware of the scale of the problem affecting wildlife.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
Cyberattacks affecting supermarket refrigeration systems in several European countries on Monday highlighted the risks associated with connecting industrial equipment to the internet.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
I write Need to Know each morning to cut through the noise and focus on the market moves, investing ideas, and economic developments affecting your money.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
There are possibilities of using less toxic sprays or, better still, of introducing microorganisms that will cause disease among the budworms without affecting the whole web of forest life.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
