afflict

[ uh-flikt ]

/ əˈflɪkt /

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See synonyms for: afflict / afflicted / afflicting / afflicts on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to distress with mental or bodily pain; trouble greatly or grievously: to be afflicted with migraine headaches.

Obsolete.

to overthrow; defeat.
to humble.

OTHER WORDS FOR afflict

1 vex, harass, torment, plague.

See synonyms for afflict on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of afflict

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English afflicten, from Latin afflīctus “distressed,” past participle of afflīgere “to cast down” (af- af- + flīg- “knock” + -tus past participle suffix); replacing Middle English aflight, from Middle French aflit, from Latin; see inflict

OTHER WORDS FROM afflict

af·flict·er, nouno·ver·af·flict, verb (used with object)pre·af·flict, verb (used with object)self-af·flict·ing, adjective

un·af·flict·ing, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH afflict

afflict , infect, inflict

Words nearby afflict

affix, affixation, affixture, afflated, afflatus, afflict, afflicted, afflicting, affliction, afflictive, affluence

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use afflict in a sentence

Covid was diabolically crafted to afflict a world in which we were already raw, sore and constantly rubbing up against other, generating friction as we circulated both globally and locally.
The virus caused more than a pandemic. It set us all ablaze.|Philip Kennicott|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
All democracies must try to counteract forms of “market censorship” that afflict profit-driven systems, favoring some voices while filtering out others.
The Fairness Doctrine won’t solve our problems — but it can foster needed debate|Victor Pickard|February 4, 2021|Washington Post
Fevers, I have learned, are far more lethal when they afflict nations.
The U.S. Capitol Attacked Reminded Me of the 1979 US Embassy Seizure and What Happens When Extremism Wins|Roya Hakakian|January 19, 2021|Time
The act gives pharmaceutical companies tax credits, market exclusivity, and other incentives to develop drugs for “orphan” diseases, which are defined as illnesses that afflict fewer than 200,000 people in the US.
How to fix the orphan drug problem driving up medical costs|Nicole Hassoun|January 14, 2021|Quartz

They had all been infected by a form of pox that afflicts cows but is relatively harmless to humans, and Jenner surmised that the cowpox had given them immunity to smallpox.
mRNA Technology Gave Us the First COVID-19 Vaccines. It Could Also Upend the Drug Industry|Walter Isaacson|January 11, 2021|Time
He wanted to give a voice to the voiceless, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.
Obama Administration and Sotloff Family Battle Over Blame for Journalist’s Kidnapping|Josh Rogin|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They want to take on authority and comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable and all that hoo-ha.
On The Times' House Liberalism|Michael Tomasky|August 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Tina Brown: So performance anxiety must afflict writers as well as actors.
Philip Roth Unbound: Interview Transcript|The Daily Beast Video|October 30, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The first person to consult, the last to afflict—a mother—should not be the victim of her daughter's feelings.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
Had this been done, I should not have been here to-night—we would have had none of the troubles which afflict the country now.
Portrait and Biography of Parson Brownlow, The Tennessee Patriot|William Gannaway Brownlow
The grand policy of theologians is to blow hot and to blow cold, to afflict and to console, to frighten and to reassure.
Superstition In All Ages (1732)|Jean Meslier
It is from this peculiar mental constitution that arise the woes that now afflict you.
Letters To Eugenia|Paul Henri Thiry Holbach
The disordered currency of the country to which he belongs does not follow and afflict him abroad.
Select Speeches of Daniel Webster|Daniel Webster

British Dictionary definitions for afflict

afflict

/ (əˈflɪkt) /

verb

(tr) to cause suffering or unhappiness to; distress greatly

Derived forms of afflict

afflictive, adjective

Word Origin for afflict

C14: from Latin afflictus, past participle of afflīgere to knock against, from flīgere to knock, to strike

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

afflict

OTHER WORDS FOR afflict

Origin of afflict

OTHER WORDS FROM afflict

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH afflict

Words nearby afflict

Words related to afflict

How to use afflict in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for afflict

Derived forms of afflict

Word Origin for afflict