afflict
Americanverb (used with object)
-
afflicts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
afflicted,
past participle, past
-
afflicting
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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afflicternoun
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overafflictverb (used with object)
-
preafflictverb (used with object)
-
afflictiveadjective
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self-afflictingadjective
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unafflictingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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afflictsimple
-
afflictssimple
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have afflictedperfect
-
has afflictedperfect
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am afflictingprogressive
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are afflictingprogressive
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is afflictingprogressive
-
have been afflictingperfect progressive
-
has been afflictingperfect progressive
Past
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afflictedsimple
-
had afflictedperfect
-
was afflictingprogressive
-
were afflictingprogressive
-
had been afflictingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
To afflict is to cause suffering, pain, or misery. It’s often associated with medical conditions. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is most likely to afflict someone who spends many hours every day typing on our computers. We get afflict from the Latin word affligere, meaning “to strike down,” which is an old fashioned way of saying to get sick, or to have a condition of some kind. You could argue that chronic indecision was the main problem to afflict Hamlet, or that saying "um," "like," and "you know" are speech tics that afflict teens.
Vocabulary lists containing afflict
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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.
See Examples For:
Sleepless nights still afflict Maria occasionally but box breathing is something she knows can help her deal with periods that might feel overwhelming.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
The cost of common conditions that afflict retirees — from chronic illness to cardiovascular disease to cognitive decline — can deplete your savings with alarming speed.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 15, 2026
It makes for a wily and endearing tale, and in Adrian Nathan West’s excellent translation, the writing is remarkably untroubled by the stylistic sclerosis that can afflict writers with Vargas Llosa’s prestige.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
However distanced you may feel from these effects, it’s worth pointing out that historically, what happens to Black workers comes to afflict all of America.
From Slate ● Sep. 10, 2025
The exciting synergy of institutional life in an all-purpose national metropolis was deemed less important than the dangerous corruptions likely to afflict a nexus of politicians and financiers.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Ortega brings the right wide-eyed wonder to this kindly android that just wants to be Josie’s pal, having no idea about a secret medical condition that afflicts Josie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Sadly, it afflicts much of the industrialized world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Some 93% of the world’s children, she said, live in polluted air, and pollution hits home with her own kids, and the asthma that disproportionately afflicts L.A.’s kids.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 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
Now the elms are stricken with a disease that afflicts them throughout their range, a disease so serious that many experts believe all efforts to save the elms will in the end be futile.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Supporters say the proposed funding could give those afflicted with chronic illness hope and potentially more options for treatment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
And unlike us mere mortals, they aren’t afflicted by pesky qualms about their reputation or career, or that queasy feeling in the gut produced by years of social conditioning against lying or ripping people off.
From Slate ● Oct. 25, 2026
He advocated for the creation of institutions, colloquially known as leper colonies, for those afflicted with perhaps the world’s most stigmatized disease.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Even before the incident with Verstappen, Russell was afflicted on his final run by a water leak, which was spraying water on to his rear tyres.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Viserys had oft claimed that Targaryens were untroubled by the pestilences that afflicted common men, and so far as she could tell, it was true.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Belt-tightening afflicting millions of households is having an impact, she noted.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
Military officials have disputed that there are severe issues afflicting the ship, and some veterans have also suggested that the accounts in the media are overblown.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
He explains how he believes Alcaraz’s tragic death likely came to be and how officers have become desensitized to issues afflicting America’s prisons.
From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026
Meanwhile, Nieto has a plan if he identifies screwworm afflicting cattle on his southern Texas ranch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
We are still beset by plain diseases, and we do not control them; they are loose on their own, afflicting us unpredictably and haphazardly.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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