1
as in strained
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
affected laughter at the boss's jokes an affected southern accent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arrogant
self-consciously trying to present an appearance of grandeur or importance
with her pinkie extended, the four-year-old held her tiny teacup in that affected manner that some women have
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in inclined
having a liking or affection
after years of being well affected toward their grandchildren, they did not want to lose access to them because of a bitter divorce
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in influenced
to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response
their son claims that scary movies don't affect him in the least
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in concerned
to be the business or affair of
fortunately, hurricane season doesn't affect the West Coast
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in pretended
to present a false appearance of
she affected complete unawareness that we were talking about her, though she must have overheard
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in haunted
to go to or spend time in often
a power couple known to affect all the fancy parties in town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of affected
Marnie Hunter, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026
Although researchers accounted for factors like physical activity and light exposure, subtle variations in those behaviors could still have affected the results.
—Julia Ries Wexler, Health, 3 Mar. 2026
But state law only allows countywide voting on election day if both parties agree, leaving all voters affected by the Republicans’ decision.
—Tracey McManus, Dallas Morning News, 3 Mar. 2026
The suit was filed on behalf of two anonymous plaintiffs affected by the law, who are trans men.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2026
Across Iran, 153 cities have been affected, Tasnim said, and 1,039 attacks have been recorded.
—Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 3 Mar. 2026
About 120 employees whose positions were affected have been reassigned; according to Mahajan, no one has been laid off.
—Meg Tanaka, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
All three airports were hit by strikes and affected by Middle Eastern airspace closures, The Associated Press reports.
—Emma Hurt, AJC.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Other Iranian strikes have killed a handful of people in Gulf nations including the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, and hundreds of flights have been affected at some of the world’s busiest airports.
—Cara Anna, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Verb
Cruise ships in the region have also been affected, with thousands of passengers and crew waiting on vessels that have been waylaid in ports in the UAE and Qatar.
—Marnie Hunter, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026
Although researchers accounted for factors like physical activity and light exposure, subtle variations in those behaviors could still have affected the results.
—Julia Ries Wexler, Health, 3 Mar. 2026
But state law only allows countywide voting on election day if both parties agree, leaving all voters affected by the Republicans’ decision.
—Tracey McManus, Dallas Morning News, 3 Mar. 2026
The suit was filed on behalf of two anonymous plaintiffs affected by the law, who are trans men.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2026
Across Iran, 153 cities have been affected, Tasnim said, and 1,039 attacks have been recorded.
—Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 3 Mar. 2026
About 120 employees whose positions were affected have been reassigned; according to Mahajan, no one has been laid off.
—Meg Tanaka, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
All three airports were hit by strikes and affected by Middle Eastern airspace closures, The Associated Press reports.
—Emma Hurt, AJC.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Other Iranian strikes have killed a handful of people in Gulf nations including the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, and hundreds of flights have been affected at some of the world’s busiest airports.
—Cara Anna, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affected
Adjective
-
With Powell missing his third straight game because of a strained right groin, the Heat went with the starting lineup of Davion Mitchell, Herro, Pelle Larsson, Andrew Wiggins and Adebayo for the third consecutive game.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The White House pledge for tech companies responds to fears of what data center buildouts mean for everyday Americans’ strained wallets.—
Eric Schmidt,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The history of classic Athens shows us that a Democracy can misuse its power, become arrogant and become a tyrant.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Maekar refuses, earning a cutting rebuttal from Dunk about the royal upbringing that turned Daeron (Henry Ashton) into a drunken coward and Aerion into an arrogant and cruel madman.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Will artists be less inclined to stamp their likeness onto their own bottles?—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Yet just as humans seem inherently inclined to imbibe addictive substances, so too are governments inclined to embrace this prohibitionist mentality at every opportunity.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Lo and behold, the signal for the mock galaxy was just as strong as the signal for CDG-2 was, even when the globular clusters were masked completely away.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Mar. 2026
-
With that in mind and a week of intel collected, here’s The Denver Post’s second stab at a Broncos mock draft.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Elsewhere, Jenna Ortega’s tattered Christian Cowan slip dress featured a thigh-high slit that would make Jolie proud.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Older brother Justin and sister Joi were also present and proud.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In addition, the attached Barrington Farm offered the President Anson Jones home where living-history participants worked the vegetable garden and baked bread in a detached kitchen, among other tasks.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
-
This home is completed by an attached two-car garage.—
Lauryn Azu,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
When forty children remained quiet for an extended period, the world took on an eerie quality—natural or unnatural, who could say, but glorious all the same.—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Synthetic audio can sound unnatural or inconsistent.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Heat will go from facing one of the worst teams in the NBA on Thursday to taking on the hottest team in the league in an important game on Friday.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
-
But — and this is important — computers are tools not workers.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Affected.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affected. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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