Synonyms of affecting

affecting 1 of 3

adjective

ə-ˈfek-tiŋ 

as in emotional

having the power to affect the feelings or sympathies

the affecting final scene in the play, when the children are reunited with their father

Synonyms & Similar Words

• emotional
• impressive
• moving
• touching
• exciting
• excitable
• passionate
• stirring
• poignant
• impactful
• dramatic
• inspirational
• meaningful
• expressive
• feeling
• eloquent
• theatrical
• significant
• provoking
• stimulating
• responsive
• theatric
• sensitive
• demonstrative
• cathartic
• rousing
• melodramatic
• histrionic

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unimpressive
• unemotional
• detached
• cold
• cool
• unaffecting
• dispassionate
• emotionless
• deadpan

affecting

2 of 3

verb (1)

present participle of affect

1

as in influencing

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

• influencing
• impacting
• impressing
• touching
• striking
• reaching
• interesting
• swaying
• involving
• inspiring
• moving
• telling (on)
• bothering
• concerning
• getting to
• attracting
• fascinating
• plaguing
• disturbing
• penetrating
• afflicting
• dazzling
• worrying
• troubling
• carrying away
• transporting
• ravishing
• biasing
• stirring
• upsetting
• engaging
• distressing
• enchanting
• harassing
• trying
• perturbing
• entrancing
• stressing
• piercing
• disquieting
• charming
• biassing
• coloring
• enrapturing
• captivating
• pestering
• enthralling
• smiting
• agitating
• bewitching
• discomforting
• wringing
• alluring
• harrying
• flustering
• straining
• discomposing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• boring
• tiring
• wearying
• palling
• jading
• underwhelming

2

as in concerning

to be the business or affair of

fortunately, hurricane season doesn't affect the West Coast

Synonyms & Similar Words

• concerning
• involving
• touching
• relating (to)
• applying (to)
• pertaining (to)
• bearing (on)
• referring (to)
• implicating
• appertaining (to)
• ensnaring
• embroiling
• entangling

affecting

3 of 3

verb (2)

present participle of affect

1

as in simulating

to present a false appearance of

she affected complete unawareness that we were talking about her, though she must have overheard

Synonyms & Similar Words

• simulating
• pretending
• assuming
• acting
• passing (for)
• feigning
• counterfeiting
• concealing
• professing
• faking
• forging
• bluffing
• posing
• dissembling
• putting on
• playing
• making believe
• masquerading
• shamming
• imitating
• masking
• impersonating
• disguising
• camouflaging
• dissimulating
• letting on
• playacting
• malingering
• feinting

2

as in haunting

to go to or spend time in often

a power couple known to affect all the fancy parties in town

Synonyms & Similar Words

• haunting
• visiting
• frequenting
• hanging (at)
• resorting (to)
• invading
• habituating
• attending
• infesting
• patronizing
• swarming
• running (in)
• calling (on or upon)
• stopping (by or in)
• stopping (over)
• staying (at)
• taking in
• dropping in
• overrunning
• camping (out in)
• popping (in)
• dropping by
• sojourning (at)
• tarrying (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• avoiding
• shaking
• escaping
• evading
• shunning
• eluding
• dodging
• ducking
• eschewing

Synonym Chooser

How is the word affecting distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of affecting are impressive, moving, pathetic, poignant, and touching. While all these words mean "having the power to produce deep emotion," affecting is close to moving but most often suggests pathos.

an affecting deathbed reunion

When might impressive be a better fit than affecting?

The synonyms impressive and affecting are sometimes interchangeable, but impressive implies compelling attention, admiration, wonder, or conviction.

an impressive list of achievements

When is it sensible to use moving instead of affecting?

Although the words moving and affecting have much in common, moving may apply to any strong emotional effect including thrilling, agitating, saddening, or calling forth pity or sympathy.

a moving appeal for contributions

When could pathetic be used to replace affecting?

While the synonyms pathetic and affecting are close in meaning, pathetic implies moving to pity or sometimes contempt.

pathetic attempts to justify misconduct

When is poignant a more appropriate choice than affecting?

The meanings of poignant and affecting largely overlap; however, poignant applies to what keenly or sharply affects one's sensitivities.

a poignant documentary on the homeless

When would touching be a good substitute for affecting?

In some situations, the words touching and affecting are roughly equivalent. However, touching implies arousing tenderness or compassion.

the touching innocence in a child's eyes

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of affecting

Adjective

This self-examination seems glib (whereas del Toro was actually more affecting as the desperate artist in The French Dispatch). —Armond White, National Review, 30 May 2025

The result is a highly affecting film unafraid to exact an emotional toll. —Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2025

Verb

The Latin America portfolio is the largest at NED, and the freeze has halted all programming, affecting journalists, civic activists, and human rights defenders. —Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2025

Dandruff causes an itchy scalp and is sometimes considered a mild form of seborrheic dermatitis, a common skin condition mainly affecting the scalp. —Lana Barhum, Verywell Health, 28 Feb. 2025