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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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
This affliction is ultimately among the most common causes of death for former bile bears, as the years of cruelty can never be fully erased.
—
Ryley Graham, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2025
Bruno Fernandes suffers from a similar affliction, taking more shots per 90 than both Zirkzee and Højlund (2.66) but from worse locations (like Garnacho, just 0.09 xG per shot).
—Brett Koremenos, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Freedom, and the afflictions of poverty and inequality, weighed heavily on the minds of Rancho Bernardo and Poway residents during the past couple of weeks.
—Harvey Levine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025
This affliction largely evaporated with the passage of the 2017 tax law.
—William Baldwin, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for affliction
Ryley Graham, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2025
Bruno Fernandes suffers from a similar affliction, taking more shots per 90 than both Zirkzee and Højlund (2.66) but from worse locations (like Garnacho, just 0.09 xG per shot).
—Brett Koremenos, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Freedom, and the afflictions of poverty and inequality, weighed heavily on the minds of Rancho Bernardo and Poway residents during the past couple of weeks.
—Harvey Levine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025
This affliction largely evaporated with the passage of the 2017 tax law.
—William Baldwin, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for affliction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affliction
Noun
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To add insult to injury, distress at work has been linked to a decrease in innovative work behavior, meaning all that destructive stress ultimately may yield less inspiring work.—
Drew Gerber,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
-
The Tennessee law, like Idaho’s, centers on medical care for transgender youth that addresses gender dysphoria, or feelings of distress when a person’s body or presentation doesn’t match their gender identity.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
19 June 2025
Noun
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Not the murder, not the arrival of the addicted sister, but the removal of the boy that has been at the core of so much sorrow and betrayal between the sisters.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
20 June 2025
-
Referencing the push and pull between sorrow and hope, Echakhch transforms water into a metaphor for emotional duality.—
Nel-Olivia Waga,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
Noun
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Because perhaps heartbreak is not only a curse, but also a language.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
20 June 2025
-
His thought that autism is a curse that destroys families IS the tragedy.—
Laura Tillman,
Hartford Courant,
16 June 2025
Noun
-
Things become complicated when a popular rival boy band, The Saja Boys, are revealed to be demons.—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
-
Wilson himself was celebrated for his beautiful music and pitied for his demons.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 June 2025
Noun
-
The injury happened with 4:55 left in the first quarter.—
Tim Reynolds,
Chicago Tribune,
23 June 2025
-
All that bumping and bruising puts her at a higher risk of injury and exhaustion.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
22 June 2025
Noun
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But playing with an already-strained right calf, the Oshkosh, Wis., native stepped awkwardly towards the basket and crumbled to the court in agony when his leg appeared to pop.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
24 June 2025
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Finding alternatives that would end this agony would be one of American science’s most important achievements.—
Rachel Fobar,
Vox,
14 May 2025
Noun
-
Drawing heavily from Qiu’s biography, My Father’s Son centers on an 18-year-old protagonist, Qiao, who loses his voice while attempting to deliver the eulogy at his father’s funeral and flees in anguish.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
19 June 2025
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Many of us watch in anguish as our compatriots abandon their homes, desperate for a safe haven beyond the reach of oppression and destruction.—
Nazanin Boniadi,
Time,
17 June 2025
Noun
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Newsom and Trump are long time nemeses whose latest public dispute centered around Trump circumventing Newsom to send military troops to California to monitor protests against Trump’s deportation policies.—
Sara Dorn,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
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The third book in the Arcana Oracle series finds heroine Pamela kidnapped by a mysterious force who reports to her nemesis, Aleister.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Affliction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affliction. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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