affliction

noun af·flic·tion \ ə-ˈflik-shən \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Examples: affliction in a Sentence

Definition of affliction

1 : a cause of persistent pain or distress

a mysterious affliction

2 : great suffering

felt empathy with their affliction

3 : the state of being afflicted by something that causes suffering

her affliction with polio

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Examples of affliction in a Sentence

She lost her sight and is now learning to live with her affliction.
He died from a mysterious affliction.

Recent Examples of affliction from the Web

He had been diagnosed earlier this year with Paget's disease, a painful affliction that damages the bones but is not life-threatening.

— christopher marquis, miamiherald, "Jorge Mas Canosa dead at 58," 15 June 2018
But the new flu drug also has notable advantages over the small number of other medications currently on the market for the seasonal affliction.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "This novel, one-and-done flu drug could be available soon in the US," 27 June 2018
The latest problem in Pratt’s geared turbofan — a fault in its knife-edge seal that led to in-flight shutdowns — is just the most recent in a series of afflictions for the turbine.

— benjamin katz, The Seattle Times, "Airbus will miss its A320neo delivery goal after engine problems," 3 July 2018
Psychologists wrote the book on unhealthy aspects of peer pressure, obsessive desire for conformity and acceptance, groupthink and intellectual dishonesty, but seem unable to diagnose and treat their own afflictions.

— WSJ, "The Doublespeak on Innate Sex Differences," 25 June 2018
They are commonly confused and thought of as two totally different afflictions.

— kaleigh fasanella, Allure, "How to Tell the Difference Between Dermatitis and Eczema," 15 June 2018
Data also show identical levels of trauma and its lifelong afflictions in suburbs and rural areas, which also have a scarcity of trauma-responsive social workers.

— john schmid, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Help wanted: Trauma-focused social workers to stop downward spiral in Milwaukee," 4 June 2018
Leilani’s problem, like that of many veterans, has been the inability to document the source of their afflictions in a complicated and often adversarial compensation claim process.

— bill lambrecht, San Antonio Express-News, "Gulf War Illness," 12 May 2018
The overlap between these afflictions is hard to untangle; diagnosis and treatment can be very difficult.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Raising Connor," 5 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of affliction

Middle English affliccioun "misery, distress, self-inflicted pain," borrowed from Anglo-French afflicion, borrowed from Late Latin afflīctiōn-, afflīctiō, from Latin afflīgere "to afflict" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

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First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 3

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