AFFLICTIVE Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

afflictive

adjective

ə-ˈflik-tiv

Definition of afflictive

as in painful

causing or feeling bodily pain the afflictive disease known as shingles is a reactivation of the virus that causes chicken pox

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for afflictive

Adjective

But for Tran’s family, the arrest revisited a painful, complicated chapter of their lives.

— Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Many have called for empathy and compassion for the situation, while others struggle to reconcile calls for grace with Hilton’s history of profiting from celebrities’ most painful moments.

— Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of painful

Adjective

When Overshown had to miss a team period on Monday with a sore leg, Barham was even trusted to take on green-dot communicator responsibilities.

— Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Aug. 2026
Public safety has been somewhat of a sore spot for the 34-year-old mayor, who faced criticism from both the left and right on the matter.

— Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of sore

Adjective

The homestretch of the drama, however, takes the story in a chilling direction, packing an aching quantity of feeling into a single glance at a security camera as someone climbs into a car and leaves the compound, never to be heard from again.

— Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 26 May 2026
Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain (1997) Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain is an aching, tender slow burn shaped by absence.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026

Definition of aching

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Browse Nearby Words

afflictions

afflictive

afflicts

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“Afflictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afflictive. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of afflictive

adjective

Example Sentences

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