Synonyms of affects

affects 1 of 2

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of affect

1

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• influences
• impacts
• impresses
• touches
• strikes
• reaches
• inspires
• sways
• involves
• interests
• tells (on)
• bothers
• moves
• gets to
• disturbs
• attracts
• fascinates
• concerns
• penetrates
• dazzles
• afflicts
• plagues
• troubles
• carries away
• worries
• engages
• perturbs
• stirs
• biases
• upsets
• entrances
• colors
• transports
• enchants
• pierces
• stresses
• enraptures
• ravishes
• distresses
• harasses
• tries
• enthralls
• captivates
• smites
• agitates
• disquiets
• charms
• wrings
• pesters
• flusters
• bewitches
• discomposes
• harries
• allures
• discomforts
• strains

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• bores
• wearies
• tires
• palls
• jades
• underwhelms

2

as in involves

to be the business or affair of

fortunately, hurricane season doesn't affect the West Coast

Synonyms & Similar Words

• involves
• concerns
• touches
• relates (to)
• applies (to)
• pertains (to)
• refers (to)
• bears (on)
• implicates
• appertains (to)
• ensnares
• embroils
• entangles

affects

2 of 2

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of affect

1

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

• simulates
• pretends
• assumes
• acts
• passes (for)
• feigns
• professes
• makes believe
• conceals
• poses
• dissembles
• plays
• puts on
• counterfeits
• forges
• imitates
• bluffs
• shams
• fakes
• camouflages
• masquerades
• dissimulates
• impersonates
• masks
• lets on
• disguises
• playacts
• malingers
• feints

2

as in haunts

to go to or spend time in often

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• haunts
• frequents
• visits
• hangs (at)
• resorts (to)
• habituates
• invades
• infests
• attends
• runs (in)
• patronizes
• calls (on or upon)
• camps (out in)
• stops (by or in)
• takes in
• overruns
• stays (at)
• stops (over)
• drops in
• drops by
• pops (in)
• swarms
• tarries (in)
• sojourns (at)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• avoids
• shuns
• escapes
• shakes
• eludes
• evades
• eschews
• ducks
• dodges

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of affects

Verb

PayPal has many middle-income customers and some lower-income customers, so a pullback in spending affects use of its payments platform. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Trump’s new round of tariffs is another way to target Canadian wood, which this time affects different types of plywood. — Idaho Statesman, 3 Sep. 2026

Because the outcome affects many others, those stakeholders — officers in the command structure within the military, for example — do get a bigger say in what happens to the individual tactical athlete. — Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 3 Sep. 2026

Current oil market pricing directly affects whether these multi-year redevelopment programs balance their expenses. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026

How El Niño affects the Himalayas El Niño and La Niña are cyclic climate patterns that together influence weather across the planet. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 2 Sep. 2026

The recall affects five flavors of Outshine frozen fruit bars sold in six-count and 24-count packages. — Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026

When protecting a client relationship affects margin, how much flexibility is acceptable? — Pranav Dalal, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026

On taxation, only about a third of clients understand how other income affects the taxability of their Social Security check, and nearly half are blindsided to learn that Medicare premiums can quietly shrink their monthly payment. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026