1
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind
she listened with deep affliction as her daughter told her about the latest trouble she was in
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2
as in sorrow
deep sadness especially for the loss of someone or something loved
felt such great affliction over the destruction of the beautiful old home
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3
as in curse
a source of harm or misfortune
alcohol has been his affliction ever since he took his first drink at the age of 12
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4
5
as in injury
something that causes loss or pain
cronyism and corruption are afflictions on the body politic
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of affliction
This affliction is ultimately among the most common causes of death for former bile bears, as the years of cruelty can never be fully erased.
—
Ryley Graham, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2025
Bruno Fernandes suffers from a similar affliction, taking more shots per 90 than both Zirkzee and Højlund (2.66) but from worse locations (like Garnacho, just 0.09 xG per shot).
—Brett Koremenos, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Freedom, and the afflictions of poverty and inequality, weighed heavily on the minds of Rancho Bernardo and Poway residents during the past couple of weeks.
—Harvey Levine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025
This affliction largely evaporated with the passage of the 2017 tax law.
—William Baldwin, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for affliction
Ryley Graham, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2025
Bruno Fernandes suffers from a similar affliction, taking more shots per 90 than both Zirkzee and Højlund (2.66) but from worse locations (like Garnacho, just 0.09 xG per shot).
—Brett Koremenos, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Freedom, and the afflictions of poverty and inequality, weighed heavily on the minds of Rancho Bernardo and Poway residents during the past couple of weeks.
—Harvey Levine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025
This affliction largely evaporated with the passage of the 2017 tax law.
—William Baldwin, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for affliction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affliction
Noun
-
Buildings continue to fall into economic distress because of government’s housing policies.—
Alva Badillo,
New York Daily News,
29 June 2025
-
In line with these ideas, researchers published findings in 2023 that showed that meditation increased people’s concern for the suffering of others—and that, by comparison, people without this practice were more oriented to their own distress.—
Mariah G. Schug,
Scientific American,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
Not the murder, not the arrival of the addicted sister, but the removal of the boy that has been at the core of so much sorrow and betrayal between the sisters.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
20 June 2025
-
That haunting blend of sorrow and defiance shaped us.—
Nazanin Boniadi,
Time,
17 June 2025
Noun
-
Because perhaps heartbreak is not only a curse, but also a language.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
20 June 2025
-
His thought that autism is a curse that destroys families IS the tragedy.—
Laura Tillman,
Hartford Courant,
16 June 2025
Noun
-
Things become complicated when a popular rival boy band, The Saja Boys, are revealed to be demons.—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
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Despite decades away from the musical mainstream in the 1970s and '80s, when his psychological demons were most aggressive, Wilson's towering impact was never in question.—
Marco della Cava,
USA Today,
12 June 2025
Noun
-
The injury happened with 4:55 left in the first quarter.—
Tim Reynolds,
Chicago Tribune,
23 June 2025
-
All that bumping and bruising puts her at a higher risk of injury and exhaustion.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
22 June 2025
Noun
-
But playing with an already-strained right calf, the Oshkosh, Wis., native stepped awkwardly towards the basket and crumbled to the court in agony when his leg appeared to pop.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
24 June 2025
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Finding alternatives that would end this agony would be one of American science’s most important achievements.—
Rachel Fobar,
Vox,
14 May 2025
Noun
-
Drawing heavily from Qiu’s biography, My Father’s Son centers on an 18-year-old protagonist, Qiao, who loses his voice while attempting to deliver the eulogy at his father’s funeral and flees in anguish.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
19 June 2025
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Many of us watch in anguish as our compatriots abandon their homes, desperate for a safe haven beyond the reach of oppression and destruction.—
Nazanin Boniadi,
Time,
17 June 2025
Noun
-
Newsom and Trump are long time nemeses whose latest public dispute centered around Trump circumventing Newsom to send military troops to California to monitor protests against Trump’s deportation policies.—
Sara Dorn,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
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The third book in the Arcana Oracle series finds heroine Pamela kidnapped by a mysterious force who reports to her nemesis, Aleister.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Affliction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affliction. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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