aftereffect
noun
af·ter·ef·fect
ˈaf-tər-ə-ˌfekt 
: an effect that follows its cause after an interval
Examples of aftereffect in a Sentence
in the U.S. slavery was abolished in 1865, but its aftereffects remained keenly felt long afterwards
Recent Examples on the Web
The unseen Wolf is an open admirer and a frustrated collaborator, granting Reubens his artistic due while grappling with the decades-long aftereffects of the homophobic scandals that derailed his career.
—
Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2025
Beyond tariffs, workers across public and private sectors are also struggling with anxieties over job security amid both corporate layoffs and the aftereffects of the 43-day government shutdown.
—Arkansas Online, 30 Nov. 2025
While the big luxury brands spent the pandemic and post-pandemic era driving up prices on shoppers who were sitting at home and looking to spend, the sector is now feeling the aftereffects with much shakier sales in a challenging consumer landscape.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 10 Nov. 2025
The journalist Beth Macy, who in her previous books chronicled the widening fissures in American society by examining the opioid crisis and the aftereffects of globalization, grew up there.
—Alex Kotlowitz, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for aftereffect
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Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2025
Beyond tariffs, workers across public and private sectors are also struggling with anxieties over job security amid both corporate layoffs and the aftereffects of the 43-day government shutdown.
—Arkansas Online, 30 Nov. 2025
While the big luxury brands spent the pandemic and post-pandemic era driving up prices on shoppers who were sitting at home and looking to spend, the sector is now feeling the aftereffects with much shakier sales in a challenging consumer landscape.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 10 Nov. 2025
The journalist Beth Macy, who in her previous books chronicled the widening fissures in American society by examining the opioid crisis and the aftereffects of globalization, grew up there.
—Alex Kotlowitz, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for aftereffect
Cite this Entry
“Aftereffect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aftereffect. Accessed 11 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
aftereffect
noun
af·ter·ef·fect
-ə-ˌfekt
: an effect that arises after the first or immediate effect has decreased or disappeared
a medicine with no noticeable aftereffects
Medical Definition
aftereffect
noun
af·ter·ef·fect
ˈaf-tə-ri-ˌfekt
1
: an effect that follows its cause after an interval
the aftereffects of surgery
2
: a secondary result especially in the action of a drug coming on after the subsidence of the first effect
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