AFFECTS Synonyms: 136 Similar and Opposite Words

affects 1 of 2

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of affect

as in influences

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in involves

to be the business or affair of fortunately, hurricane season doesn't affect the West Coast

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affects

2 of 2

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of affect

as in simulates

to present a false appearance of she affected complete unawareness that we were talking about her, though she must have overheard

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in haunts

to go to or spend time in often a power couple known to affect all the fancy parties in town

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of affects

Verb

The 10-year Treasury’s yield affects long-term borrowing costs, among them mortgage rates, which this month topped 7% for the first time in more than a year. — Dan Mangan,kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026 When asked how that affects Sunday’s game against the Chiefs, Reid wanted nothing to do with the question. — Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2026 Richards, who has always sung his blues songs with a vocal quiver that owes a debt to Reed, plays the guitar with a little more force than Reed did and affects something of a Mississippi-via-Dartford drawl on the vocals. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026 In its 237-year history, the United States Congress hasn’t held a dedicated hearing on menopause, a transition that affects half of the country’s population — until yesterday. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 17 Sep. 2026 The recall affects 22-ounce containers of Bettergoods Authentic Italian Lemon Alfredo Fettuccine. — Julia Hawkins, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026 For example, research into how intoxication affects memory is fairly new, says Lilian Kloft-Heller, a forensic psychologist at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026 The musician, 60, sat down with Tamron Hall for a candid conversation about living with Parkinson’s disease, which affects the nervous system, can affect movement and often worsens over time. — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026 Gender also affects these estimates, as women tend to have longer life expectancies, which can result in slightly lower monthly payments. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for affects

Verb

Inside the glass vial lies the successor to the French company’s award-winning hair tonic, amped up with research into how the scalp’s microbiome influences your locks.

— Dan Michel, Robb Report, 19 Sep. 2026
The 10-year Treasury, for instance, strongly influences mortgage rates and this week topped 5% for the first time since 2023.

— Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of influences

Verb

Turning cryptographic posture management into a continuous discipline involves tackling people, process and technology aspects.

— Evgeny Gervis, Forbes.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Indeed, Chinese customs data shows a sharp rise in imports of unprocessed platinum and palladium over the past five years, an approach in keeping with a playbook that involves importing raw materials for local processing.

— Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of involves

Verb

The pastor’s warning haunts the book, as, over the course of nearly 80 years, the Baeks move countries, have children, and become entrepreneurs, all while enduring brutal discrimination.

— Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
Another image, that of a man falling from the World Trade Center towers, haunts many to this day ‒ including the photographer who took the picture.

— Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of haunts

Verb

Aero Plantation’s roads are privately owned and maintained by the neighborhood, a distinction residents cited in explaining why outside traffic concerns them.

— Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2026
Florida counsel must analyze how that threshold operates when the allegation concerns injury severity rather than collision causation, under the statute and the controlling seat belt decisions.

— Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of concerns

Verb

Even a tween or teen who pretends not to enjoy Advent calendars anymore can’t resist the allure of discovering which emotional support pal will pop out.

— Chaunie Brusie, Parents, 17 Sep. 2026
However, because that group is about 50% white, Dan Le Batard has an issue — or pretends to.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of pretends

Verb

CMOs should be working with their public relations colleagues to strengthen the brand narrative by creating opportunities for earned media coverage in those outlets that are feeding the LLMs the target audience frequents.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
The restrictions will be typically attached to signposts and buildings, Romano said, especially frequents around high-volume student residences.

— Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 28 Aug. 2026