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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Recent Examples of Synonyms for afflictive

Adjective

For five years running, Americans have had to live with wallet-fleecing, budget-busting, paycheck-eating inflation – including a painful stretch where the pace of price hikes hit a 40-year high.

— Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
Many who are bitten never develop an allergic reaction at all, while others become so sensitive that merely smelling hamburger smoke can set off a painful response.

— Andy Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 25 July 2026

Definition of painful

Adjective

What’s actually opening (and what’s gone) The 300 block of Houston Street, long a sore spot after Reata Restaurant left for the Tower in 2024, may soon show signs of life.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 July 2026
But don’t let a sore back prevent you from tackling this gardening task.

— Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 25 July 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 28 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of afflictive

adjective

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