affecting

adjective af·fect·ing \ ə-ˈfek-tiŋ , a- \

Updated on: 8 Mar 2018

Definition of affecting

: evoking a strong emotional response

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affectingly

play \-tiŋ-lē\ adverb

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Examples of affecting in a Sentence

He begins his book with an affecting description of his difficult childhood.
the affecting final scene in the play, when the children are reunited with their father

Recent Examples of affecting from the Web

One of the most affecting passages in the book describes Elshiva’s efforts to keep in touch with them: Death stalked the city like a plague, and Elshiva’s daughters felt the need to check every week that the old woman was okay.

— roy scranton, The New Republic, "A Surreal Story from Baghdad," 2 Mar. 2018
Sometimes the most unlikely romances can surprise us as the most affecting and tender.

— Esquire, "And the Best Picture Should Be...," 23 Feb. 2018
But perhaps the most affecting words have come from the students and teachers who have survived these horrific acts of firearm brutality—and on Saturday, those words came from Emma Gonzalez, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school.

— jennifer lance, Glamour, "Florida Student Emma Gonzalez Delivered This Powerful Speech Demanding Gun Control Reform," 18 Feb. 2018
Perhaps the most affecting memory is that of civil rights leader Xernona Clayton, who recalls taking out her powder compact to disguise the clumsy work of the mortician on King's face, when his body lay in state at Spelman College.

— david rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, "'King in the Wilderness': Film Review | Sundance 2018," 23 Jan. 2018
And there’s a very affecting exhibit at Galerie Azzedine Alaïa, where photographs by the artist Richard Wentworth explore Alaïa’s process and the relationship between his fashion and sculpture.

— cathy horyn, The Cut, "Fashion’s Human Touch," 3 Oct. 2017
The messiest moments in Better Things are also the most affecting and finely observed.

— chloé cooper jones, GQ, "Better Things’ Pamela Adlon Is Making Fun of You Because She Loves You," 14 Sep. 2017
The most affecting moment by far comes at the very end, when Sally Hemings reads the Declaration in full.

— Chicago Reader, "Hair, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and six more new stage shows to see now," 10 Aug. 2017
But one of the Studio's most affecting works is one of its smallest: a hole drilled into a grain of sand.

— mallory pickett, CNN, "How NASA's creative studio recreates the wonders of space on Earth," 20 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'affecting.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of affecting

from present participle of ²affect

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First Known Use: 1720

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affecting Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of affecting

moving, impressive, poignant, affecting, touching, pathetic mean having the power to produce deep emotion. moving may apply to any strong emotional effect including thrilling, agitating, saddening, or calling forth pity or sympathy.