as in troubled
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as in plagued
to cause persistent suffering to
the South was afflicted by a severe drought he's been afflicted by nightmares ever since the accident
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Recent Examples of afflicted
David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 12 June 2022
For nearly five years, the lingering hope of the pundit class (and, notably, the Biden campaign) was that the Trump fever would eventually burn itself out and those so afflicted would awake from its throes eager to be normal again.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 6 Jan. 2022
Regarding Cuba now, there seems to be an additional Russian objective: weakening U.S. and Canadian intelligence on the island by forcing the evacuation of afflicted spies and diplomatic personnel.
—Néstor T. Carbonell, National Review, 12 Apr. 2021
Some of the bikers pouring into the area are coming from distant states far more afflicted.
—CBS News, 10 Aug. 2020
Kroger officials said McMullen had planned to remove his mask for the event, which was not attended by Pence's afflicted press secretary Katie Miller who stayed in Washington.
—Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati.com, 11 May 2020
Symptoms of the illness are similar to pneumonia, although videos have been posted that purportedly show afflicted people collapsing on the street, bleeding from their mouths, and being treated by doctors wearing hazmat suits.
—Zachary Halaschak, Washington Examiner, 25 Jan. 2020
Mealy bugs can be a real problem, not just for the afflicted plant but for neighboring, healthy houseplants.
—Adrian Higgins, Washington Post, 13 Aug. 2019
Making a compelling financial case to fight climate change and to help the most afflicted demands a rigorous accounting of its effects.
—Umair Irfan, Vox, 9 Oct. 2018
Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 23 Feb. 2026
Costco's popular rotisserie chicken is at the center of another lawsuit, this one claiming that a chicken processing plant in Nebraska is afflicted by salmonella contamination, possibly affecting hundreds of millions of the birds sold through the warehouses.
—Cheryl V. Jackson, Louisville Courier Journal, 20 Feb. 2026
Last year the Make-A-Wish Foundation flew Luke, who was afflicted with a rare life-threatening blood disorder in high school, to Denver to meet his hero.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 8 Feb. 2026
Embarrassment could have been a factor in the rash decision, but Trump is not a man who appears to be afflicted by that particular emotion, which takes its cue from a certain amount of self-awareness and humility.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Done right, a public option would lower prices while stabilizing access in areas afflicted by disparities.
—Jesse Jackson Jr, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2026
Thus, taxpayers are often stuck financing underperforming government programs riddled with waste and outright fraud, as was the case in the recent $30 billion scandal that afflicted the state’s unemployment insurance program.
—Lanhee J. Chen, Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2026
The polio she was afflicted with as a child leaving her with a limp.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
At least 50 people had been reported dead in states afflicted by the dangerous cold.
—Arkansas Online, 29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
The afflicted man instead went to a Dawson hospital, where he was fed only raw potatoes and charged $10 a day for the privilege.
—David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 12 June 2022
For nearly five years, the lingering hope of the pundit class (and, notably, the Biden campaign) was that the Trump fever would eventually burn itself out and those so afflicted would awake from its throes eager to be normal again.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 6 Jan. 2022
Regarding Cuba now, there seems to be an additional Russian objective: weakening U.S. and Canadian intelligence on the island by forcing the evacuation of afflicted spies and diplomatic personnel.
—Néstor T. Carbonell, National Review, 12 Apr. 2021
Some of the bikers pouring into the area are coming from distant states far more afflicted.
—CBS News, 10 Aug. 2020
Kroger officials said McMullen had planned to remove his mask for the event, which was not attended by Pence's afflicted press secretary Katie Miller who stayed in Washington.
—Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati.com, 11 May 2020
Symptoms of the illness are similar to pneumonia, although videos have been posted that purportedly show afflicted people collapsing on the street, bleeding from their mouths, and being treated by doctors wearing hazmat suits.
—Zachary Halaschak, Washington Examiner, 25 Jan. 2020
Mealy bugs can be a real problem, not just for the afflicted plant but for neighboring, healthy houseplants.
—Adrian Higgins, Washington Post, 13 Aug. 2019
Making a compelling financial case to fight climate change and to help the most afflicted demands a rigorous accounting of its effects.
—Umair Irfan, Vox, 9 Oct. 2018
Verb
Those who aren’t afflicted by the syndrome might think dark thoughts, but they are kept buttoned up.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 23 Feb. 2026
Costco's popular rotisserie chicken is at the center of another lawsuit, this one claiming that a chicken processing plant in Nebraska is afflicted by salmonella contamination, possibly affecting hundreds of millions of the birds sold through the warehouses.
—Cheryl V. Jackson, Louisville Courier Journal, 20 Feb. 2026
Last year the Make-A-Wish Foundation flew Luke, who was afflicted with a rare life-threatening blood disorder in high school, to Denver to meet his hero.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 8 Feb. 2026
Embarrassment could have been a factor in the rash decision, but Trump is not a man who appears to be afflicted by that particular emotion, which takes its cue from a certain amount of self-awareness and humility.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Done right, a public option would lower prices while stabilizing access in areas afflicted by disparities.
—Jesse Jackson Jr, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2026
Thus, taxpayers are often stuck financing underperforming government programs riddled with waste and outright fraud, as was the case in the recent $30 billion scandal that afflicted the state’s unemployment insurance program.
—Lanhee J. Chen, Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2026
The polio she was afflicted with as a child leaving her with a limp.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
At least 50 people had been reported dead in states afflicted by the dangerous cold.
—Arkansas Online, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for afflicted
Adjective
-
Some foreign papers pointed out Jackie’s history of troubled pregnancies and caesarean births.—
Steven Levingston,
Vanity Fair,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Blue Owl is a major direct lender to the software sector, and Saba’s intervention comes amid growing scrutiny over broader risks in private credit , and the sector’s links to the troubled software space.—
Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The violence captured on cellphone videos and shared around the globe – buses burning, gas stations attacked, military helicopters flying overhead – wasn’t just happening in remote rural towns long plagued by drug violence.—
Mary Beth Sheridan,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
-
But controversial government efforts to redress inequalities have been plagued by corruption and cronyism.—
Michael H Gavshon,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Russia has destroyed more than 600 churches, persecuted millions of Ukrainian Christians under occupation, and abducted more than 19,000 children in an effort to break Ukraine’s spirit.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The result is that, despite existing household pains owing to more expensive fuel, a resurgent kidnapping crisis that exposes deep security vulnerabilities, and external pressure from a US government that claims Christians are persecuted in Nigeria, Tinubu has expanded his base and looks strong.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Scott Quigley — which led to the death of a disabled man — staties seem concerned about the consequences the sergeant would face.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The monthly payments themselves vary widely, from roughly $180 at the low end to nearly $5,000 for the most severely disabled veterans, with higher sums tied to the number of dependents and the depth of impairment.—
Steven Beynon,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The mother of Tilly Servin, a toddler who prosecutors believe was tortured to death in Long Beach last year, is suing Los Angeles County’s child protection agency for leaving her daughter in the custody of the child’s father, who was previously sentenced to four years in prison for child abuse.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
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Some detainees are tortured to get information about other protesters or to get confessions, usually admitting to working with foreign governments, which are often televised, according to Aban, who has documented over 300 confessions carried in various state media outlets since the protests began.—
Babak Dehghanpisheh,
NBC news,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
When approached, such a goose might have made a feeble attempt to escape.—
Bryan Hendricks,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
-
His inability to recognize the oxymoron makes Cole’s introspection on this topic feel less like a genuine reckoning and more like a feeble attempt at bleaching out the darkest stains of his career.—
Benny Sun,
Pitchfork,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Destruction in Mariupol At the start of the war, Russian forces besieged Mariupol before the port city fell in May 2022.—
Yuras Karmanau,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The Adams administration was besieged with corruption at every level—the Blackness of the perpetrators was of no solace.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Earlier this month, Nancy Guthrie, the elderly and infirm mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was violently taken from her home in Tucson, Arizona.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The four Democratic members of the JBC, which controls the state budget, asked with growing consternation why the Department of Corrections hadn’t brought them a plan to address overcrowding, to step up releases of old and infirm inmates, or to improve its own shortcomings.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Afflicted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afflicted. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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