afflict

verb

af·flict ə-ˈflikt

afflicted; afflicting; afflicts

Synonyms of afflict next

transitive verb

: to cause pain or suffering to : to distress so severely as to cause persistent suffering or anguish

people afflicted with arthritis

a region afflicted by hunger and poverty

: trouble, injure

obsolete

: humble

: overthrow

Choose the Right Synonym for afflict

afflict, try, torment, torture, rack mean to inflict on a person something that is hard to bear.

afflict is a general term and applies to the causing of pain or suffering or of acute annoyance, embarrassment, or any distress.

ills that afflict the elderly

try suggests imposing something that strains the powers of endurance or of self-control.

children often try their parents' patience

torment suggests persecution or the repeated inflicting of suffering or annoyance.

a horse tormented by flies

torture adds the implication of causing unbearable pain or suffering.

tortured by a sense of guilt

rack stresses straining or wrenching.

a body racked by pain

Examples of afflict in a Sentence

The disease afflicts an estimated two million people every year. the South was afflicted by a severe drought

Recent Examples on the Web Share [Findings] A fungal parasite that afflicts the reproductive organs of millipedes was named in honor of Twitter. —

Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024 Though poverty, mental health issues and addiction often afflict homeless people, the lack of affordable housing is the biggest factor in driving up the overall homelessness rate, according to specialists and research. —

Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024 Symptoms broadly mimic those of dementia, although patients afflicted with Creutzfeldt-Jakob deteriorate much more quickly. —

Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2024 Her campaign has mostly skirted the violence afflicting Mexico and focused on the social programs that have made the current president hugely popular. —

Eyder Peralta, NPR, 22 Apr. 2024 Then, in January, the mysterious ailment began afflicting smalltooth sawfish, a type of large, prehistoric-looking ray named for the look of its snout-like rostrum lined with sharp teeth. —

Patricia Mazzei, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024 These disorders are not given the serious intellectual treatment that similarly demographically prevalent disorders that do not predominantly afflict women, like addiction and depression, regularly receive. —

Hannah Dylan Pasternak, SELF, 25 Mar. 2024 But the familiar tendency to take the quick route afflicted Reddit’s global push. —

Paresh Dave, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2024 Perun, who neither drank nor smoked—and who had often spent his rare downtime in our apartment curling heavy dumbbells—was afflicted by a chronic cough that grew distressingly vicious as the operation progressed. —

Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'afflict.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English afflihten "to excite, become distressed," probably verbal derivative of affliht, aflyght "disturbed, upset," borrowed from Latin afflīctus, past participle of afflīgere "to knock or strike down, ruin, distress severely," from ad- ad- + flīgere "to strike down" — more at profligate entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler

The first known use of afflict was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century