as in painful
causing or feeling bodily pain
the afflictive disease known as shingles is a reactivation of the virus that causes chicken pox
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of afflictive
Perhaps this afflictive uncertainty can be redefined.
—
Krista Stevens, Longreads, 26 Apr. 2018
Krista Stevens, Longreads, 26 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for afflictive
Adjective
-
Think about caring for an ill mate, losing income because of having to give up your job, having difficulty paying your bills and suffering from painful arthritis while serving as the unpaid caregiver.—
Helen Dennis,
Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Jan Garrod said the cost of farming and trucking with the skyrocketing cost of diesel is almost too painful to think about.—
Laura Ness,
Mercury News,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Fabric headboards back enormous beds, there's ample closet space, and the enormous bathroom has a free-standing bathtub with Votary products to soothe sore feet after a day pounding the cobbles.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Roman Anthony will not play Wednesday against the New York Yankees due to a sore back, Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced prior to first pitch.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
The dramatic and aching second movement, according to Egarr, may have been a love letter to one of Beethoven’s romantic interests.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Afflictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afflictive. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
