afflict
verb (used with object)
to distress with mental or bodily pain; trouble greatly or grievously.
afflicts
-
present tense formof afflict (3rd person singular).present tense
Used to describe things happening now or regularly.
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.
Tremors are a common symptom of Parkinson’s disease, which also notably afflicts “Back to the Future” star Michael J. Fox.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
There’s also a reference to septicemia, which is writer-director Emerald Fennell’s perhaps too-technical stab at explaining the nonspecific Victorian disease that afflicts one character.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
But if Ireland’s radically asymmetrical relationship with the U.S. is distinctive, the crisis it represents is global and afflicts many other small and medium-size nations.
From Salon ● Mar. 16, 2025
To get coverage they need support, and to get support they need coverage - the vicious circle that afflicts all but the two main parties in Westminster.
From BBC ● May 31, 2024
People say he’s angry, and hermitlike, but it's loneliness that afflicts him.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
