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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as in troubled
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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
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025
The narrative takes a darker turn when a family member becomes supernaturally afflicted after witnessing a death, prompting a desperate search for spiritual intervention.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
As a result, Ecuador has avoided the extraordinary inflation that has afflicted so many nations in South America, including Argentina.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
However, Romo was seemingly afflicted with a malady that Prescott cannot inoculate himself against.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
While there is no cure for West Nile virus, health officials said, supportive care in hospitals can help people afflicted with severe neuroinvasive symptoms.
—Cathie Anderson, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Subsequent names didn't stick either, despite cases of this unusual form of diabetes continuing to surface, especially in areas afflicted with malnutrition.
—Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 29 Sep. 2025
Just look at poverty, violence and health and housing inequities that have long afflicted Fairhill and West Kensington, two adjacent and heavily Puerto Rican neighborhoods in North Philadelphia.
—Héctor M. Varela Rios, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2025
Griffin, who does clinical work in Long Island, New York, said his sister-in-law is in her 40s and quite wary of long COVID, the enduring, debilitating health issues that have afflicted millions of Americans who contracted the coronavirus.
—Jorge L. Ortiz, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
Adjective
The Lakers were down LeBron James, afflicted by nerve pain.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025
The narrative takes a darker turn when a family member becomes supernaturally afflicted after witnessing a death, prompting a desperate search for spiritual intervention.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
As a result, Ecuador has avoided the extraordinary inflation that has afflicted so many nations in South America, including Argentina.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
However, Romo was seemingly afflicted with a malady that Prescott cannot inoculate himself against.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
While there is no cure for West Nile virus, health officials said, supportive care in hospitals can help people afflicted with severe neuroinvasive symptoms.
—Cathie Anderson, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Subsequent names didn't stick either, despite cases of this unusual form of diabetes continuing to surface, especially in areas afflicted with malnutrition.
—Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 29 Sep. 2025
Just look at poverty, violence and health and housing inequities that have long afflicted Fairhill and West Kensington, two adjacent and heavily Puerto Rican neighborhoods in North Philadelphia.
—Héctor M. Varela Rios, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2025
Griffin, who does clinical work in Long Island, New York, said his sister-in-law is in her 40s and quite wary of long COVID, the enduring, debilitating health issues that have afflicted millions of Americans who contracted the coronavirus.
—Jorge L. Ortiz, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for afflicted
Verb
-
Advertisement The investigation and its many turns The investigation was plagued by mistakes, leaks, and false leads.—
Isadora Wandermurem,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
-
If a fungal infection plagued your shrubs, rake up diseased leaves and dispose of them before adding a layer of mulch.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Lots of laughter, troubled gazes, leftovers.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The chancellor for the troubled University of Minnesota-Morris will step down from her role by the end of December.—
Forum News Service,
Twin Cities,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In Nazi Germany, transgender people were persecuted, barred from public life.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
15 Oct. 2025
-
This Committee was initially created during the McCarthy Era, a dark time when the federal government repressed and persecuted American citizens for their political beliefs.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Donnelly, meanwhile, recalled on the witness stand how he was repeatedly drowned, tortured and raped by Gacy, per court documents.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
-
In Elordi’s hands, the creature is a sensitive soul tortured by his own existence.—
Lindsey Bahr,
Boston Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
There was no legal reason for a prosecutor to do so—the toddler was too young to testify, and disabled from his injuries.—
Charlotte Alter,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
-
What Happens Next SSI is a federal program that provides monthly assistance to low-income seniors over 65, along with individuals who are blind or disabled.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Since its municipal establishment in 2018, Roku City has been a metropolis intermittently besieged by mythical creatures including a kraken, a big robot, and a Godzilla-like kaiju.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
14 Oct. 2025
-
She is besieged on all sides—by her in-laws, by social workers, by untreated psychosis—and yet in possession of a terrible freedom.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The festival unfolds at a particularly tenuous time for the documentary field, which for the past several years has faced a feeble acquisition market.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Cupping was quite popular among feeble white women in North America, and those same marks, Daria knew, were present on her own body, concealed beneath her loose T-shirt.—
Catherine Lacey,
New Yorker,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The victim of the offense was a person with a disability and the defendant knew or should have known that the victim was a person with a disability or mentally or physically infirm.—
IndyStar,
IndyStar,
6 Oct. 2025
-
In September, late night TV turns 71, ancient by television standards and, until recently, not infirm — one of American pop culture’s most durable inventions and exports.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Afflicted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afflicted. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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