afflicted 1 of 2

Definition of afflictednext

afflicted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of afflict

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 afflicted
Adjective
Some of the bikers pouring into the area are coming from distant states far more afflicted. — CBS News, 10 Aug. 2020
Verb
Calle 13 became famous not just for its edgy rap and urban music, but also for loudly calling out the economic and social inequalities that afflicted Puerto Rico. — Helena Alonso Paisley, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026 His central claim is that mental health culture has created a situation where over time, the people who are least afflicted get the most attention. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2026 Love contains the seeds of its own destruction—the cruelty and self-absorption that turns the afflicted against one another, and themselves. — Merve Emre, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026 While the epicenter was located in Nantou County in central Taiwan, serious damage afflicted residents across the island as roads buckled, bridges collapsed and landslides destroyed everything in their path. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2026 The afflicted can feel very strongly about them, strongly believe them, even though there is no convincing reason for holding that thought. — Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026 However, the network was afflicted with major issues in its first year, including executive turnover and poor ratings. — Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2026 The global food system is afflicted by uncertainty across many domains—weather, supply chains, labor, trade, and beyond. — Anna Nelson, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2026 Over 600,000 women a year in America are afflicted with postpartum depression in America, research shows. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for afflicted
Adjective
  • In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of major investments in stadiums and arenas, governments must first prioritise the development of the troubled local sports sector.
    — Martin K.N Siele, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Amy Adams is mesmerizing as our troubled heroine, with Patricia Clarkson as her overbearing mother and Eliza Scanlen as her mysterious half-sister.
    — Radhika Seth, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • But he was plagued by guilt over his ancestor’s role in the trials, and felt compelled to explore themes of human character, greed, and social decay through his work.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Joan realizes that her mother’s vanishing meshes with a larger tapestry of tragedy that has plagued their family over the years.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Fagbemi was standing in front of his disabled vehicle looking under the hood when the driver of a tractor-trailer rear-ended the vehicle about 15 minutes later, according to police.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Seniors, disabled residents, and veterans may be entitled to further tax rate exemptions.
    — Andis Robeznieks, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The company named all its weapons after Ukrainian intellectuals and artists killed or persecuted by Russians in the last century.
    — Joanna Kakissis, NPR, 29 Oct. 2026
  • During this same time his father had vanished behind the Bamboo Curtain and was almost certainly persecuted, possibly even murdered, by the same Communists that Hoover claimed to be fighting.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • As Claudia, Curtis is perfectly biting and obnoxious, willing to insert herself into her ex-husband’s life for sport, stomping on his feeble boundaries.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
  • In 1937, Foyles started the Right Book Club, a rather feeble counterweight to Victor Gollancz’s Left Book Club.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Imprisoned during the persecution of Christians by the Roman emperor Diocletian, they were tortured and beheaded.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • From the very start, the students assigned as guards went on cruel power trips and repeatedly humiliated — if not psychologically tortured — the inmates, to the point that some of the prisoners suffered nervous breakdowns.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Outside stands a statue of an infirm John Paul II leaning on his papal staff — a reminder of the pontiffs who have been treated here, and of their earthly frailty.
    — Claudio Lavanga, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026
  • But according to Galloway, shortly before his death in 1989, a friend came upon an infirm Olivier watching one of Leigh’s films.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Mehra – director of 2016 pic Baar Baar Dekho and creator of Prime Video series Big Girls Don’t Cry – says that while Indian audiences are besieged by films and TV content right now, where Hunkkaar has cut through is in its subject matter.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Its largest medical center, Al-Shifa Hospital, was besieged, bombed, and raided, under false pretexts, resulting in hundreds of deaths inside.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Afflicted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afflicted. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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