1
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind
she listened with deep affliction as her daughter told her about the latest trouble she was in
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sorrow
deep sadness especially for the loss of someone or something loved
felt such great affliction over the destruction of the beautiful old home
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3
as in curse
a source of harm or misfortune
alcohol has been his affliction ever since he took his first drink at the age of 12
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
5
as in injury
something that causes loss or pain
cronyism and corruption are afflictions on the body politic
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of affliction
Deprived of the Sun, Australians acquire afflictions more commonly associated with northern Scandinavia, like vitamin D deficiencies and seasonal affective disorder, only all year-round.
—
Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Chibale knew that this wasn't the case in Africa, a continent that struggles with its own afflictions, alongside limited funding, infrastructure and technical know-how.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 22 Mar. 2026
Beyond entertainment, Shepard devoted herself to raising awareness for sickle cell anemia after a friend died of the affliction.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
None of these afflictions are exclusive to older moms, but age is a big factor in how serious both are.
—Heather Grossmann, Parents, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for affliction
Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Chibale knew that this wasn't the case in Africa, a continent that struggles with its own afflictions, alongside limited funding, infrastructure and technical know-how.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 22 Mar. 2026
Beyond entertainment, Shepard devoted herself to raising awareness for sickle cell anemia after a friend died of the affliction.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
None of these afflictions are exclusive to older moms, but age is a big factor in how serious both are.
—Heather Grossmann, Parents, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for affliction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affliction
Noun
-
Mavromatis, in a complaint filed on Wednesday in North Carolina federal court, alleges violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act, wrongful discharge and intentional infliction of emotional distress.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
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Her suit accuses the company of violating the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, intentionally inflicting emotional distress, and wrongfully terminating her.—
Irin Carmon,
Vulture,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sorrow over the accident and announced monetary relief for the victims’ families.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Parents expressed sorrow at seeing a pillar of their children’s music journey gone too soon.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Curse or no curse, the @nyknicks have NO BUSINESS losing this series to the @ATLHawks — no matter how good that young team is.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The home crowd in hockey can be a blessing and a curse.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This control sequence, called a Hamiltonian, acts like Maxwell’s demon, flip-flopping a supposedly irreversible sequence of events forward to backward.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
21 Apr. 2026
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Two Thousand and Late (Atypical Artists) Two Thousand and Late tells the story of a demon from hell sent to bring along the apocalypse.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Peavey previously pleaded guilty to one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon and the special allegation of personal infliction of great bodily injury.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Manson later left the game with an upper-body injury and the former Ducks defenseman did not return.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Those who suffered through chickenpox as kids likely remember the agony of its itchy rash.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
24 Apr. 2026
-
To encompass the story, about a miracle from 847, when Pope Leo IV stopped a fire with a blessing, Raphael brings you into the fresco through the unshod feet of a woman in agony and leaves you near the very back, with a tiny and serene Leo IV.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
He was injured and absent from the squad that lost the Championship play-off final here two years ago, but, on this occasion, he would not be spared that especially severe kind of anguish under the arch.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Yet, Seth and Bynum are skeptical of Herold, whose torment and anguish cloaks him better than his long grey coat.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Flyers steamrolled through the first three games against their long-time nemesis in Crosby and the Penguins.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
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The sequel revolves around journalist Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) reuniting with her former nemesis editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) to save the fashion magazine.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Affliction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affliction. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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