afflict

verb

af·​flict ə-ˈflikt 

afflicted; afflicting; afflicts

transitive verb

1

a

: to cause pain or suffering to : to distress so severely as to cause persistent suffering or anguish

people afflicted with arthritis

a region afflicted by hunger and poverty

b

: trouble, injure

2

obsolete

a

: humble

b

: overthrow

Synonyms

• agonize
• anguish
• bedevil
• beset
• besiege
• curse
• excruciate
• harrow
• persecute
• plague
• rack
• torment
• torture

Choose the Right Synonym for afflict

afflict, try, torment, torture, rack mean to inflict on a person something that is hard to bear.

afflict is a general term and applies to the causing of pain or suffering or of acute annoyance, embarrassment, or any distress.

ills that afflict the elderly

try suggests imposing something that strains the powers of endurance or of self-control.

children often try their parents' patience

torment suggests persecution or the repeated inflicting of suffering or annoyance.

a horse tormented by flies

torture adds the implication of causing unbearable pain or suffering.

tortured by a sense of guilt

rack stresses straining or wrenching.

a body racked by pain

Examples of afflict in a Sentence

The disease afflicts an estimated two million people every year.

the South was afflicted by a severe drought

Recent Examples on the Web

Perun, who neither drank nor smoked—and who had often spent his rare downtime in our apartment curling heavy dumbbells—was afflicted by a chronic cough that grew distressingly vicious as the operation progressed. —Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

Today, such workers are needed more than ever in states that are afflicted by natural disasters, such as Florida’s hurricanes. —Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024

Given that issues with employee engagement afflict every industry and every firm, combatting disengagement is rapidly becoming one of the most important tasks of corporate leadership. —Alexander Puutio, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024

The problem of witnesses dying off or forgetting details also afflicts the government’s case. —Carol Rosenberg, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024

Shuttlesworth and the Alzheimer’s Association point to a few possible reasons for the disparities in who is afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. —Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2024

The new bond’s proceeds might seem like a drop in the bucket, though, considering that about 47% of today’s homeless people are said to be afflicted with mental or emotional illness, with another 150,000 others in similar difficulty now housed in prisons at a cost of about $130,000 per year. —Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024

The malady that afflicted the Thoreau family was consumption, striking down three generations. —Alida Becker, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024

Medium-level exposure may have afflicted workers and artists who used cinnabar to adorn beads, walls, burials and more. —Bridget Alex, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English afflihten "to excite, become distressed," probably verbal derivative of affliht, aflyght "disturbed, upset," borrowed from Latin afflīctus, past participle of afflīgere "to knock or strike down, ruin, distress severely," from ad- ad- + flīgere "to strike down" — more at profligate entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

afflict

verb

af·​flict ə-ˈflikt 

: to cause suffering or unhappiness to