1
as in distresses
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in curses
a source of harm or misfortune
alcohol has been his affliction ever since he took his first drink at the age of 12
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
as in injuries
something that causes loss or pain
cronyism and corruption are afflictions on the body politic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 afflictions
Neither the dangerously rampant mental health afflictions among military folk nor the dehumanization and exploitation of undocumented people have gone unexplored in American cinema.
—
Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 31 Aug. 2025
Some of us have both of these afflictions, particularly beyond the age of 40-to-50.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 19 Aug. 2025
While untreated mental afflictions can now be addressed under state law, the same should be extended to folks suffering from addiction.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2025
See treasures Both afflictions can be caused by a combination of environmental factors and malnutrition, and were not altogether uncommon during the time period this toddler lived.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025
Paradoxically, these efforts sometimes undermine their own goals, concealing, and at times exacerbating, the afflictions of the most vulnerable.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025
Now, the two pair their boundary-less creative freedom and turn it toward providing a mirror to modern-day afflictions, on this brooding look at mental health and depression.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 10 Mar. 2025
Among multiple other afflictions Levine expects are vitamin deficiencies, starvation, dramatic weight loss, vision problems due to a lack of sunlight, broken bones, cognitive impairment and mental health trauma.
—Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
Loneliness and social isolation are often discussed as afflictions of the aging process.
—Erin Lowry, Orlando Sentinel, 28 Dec. 2024
Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 31 Aug. 2025
Some of us have both of these afflictions, particularly beyond the age of 40-to-50.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 19 Aug. 2025
While untreated mental afflictions can now be addressed under state law, the same should be extended to folks suffering from addiction.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2025
See treasures Both afflictions can be caused by a combination of environmental factors and malnutrition, and were not altogether uncommon during the time period this toddler lived.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025
Paradoxically, these efforts sometimes undermine their own goals, concealing, and at times exacerbating, the afflictions of the most vulnerable.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025
Now, the two pair their boundary-less creative freedom and turn it toward providing a mirror to modern-day afflictions, on this brooding look at mental health and depression.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 10 Mar. 2025
Among multiple other afflictions Levine expects are vitamin deficiencies, starvation, dramatic weight loss, vision problems due to a lack of sunlight, broken bones, cognitive impairment and mental health trauma.
—Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
Loneliness and social isolation are often discussed as afflictions of the aging process.
—Erin Lowry, Orlando Sentinel, 28 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for afflictions
Noun
-
The source of a zombie outbreak can come from anywhere, including ancient curses and meteorites from space.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
17 Oct. 2025
-
That mindset leads to no shortage of delightfully blasé supernatural adventures rife with magic and curses.—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Based on the book series The Mortal Instruments, the Freeform series follows a girl (Katherine McNamara) who descends from a long line of human-angel hybrids who hunt down demons.—
Kelsie Gibson,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Red must face his demons and pick up the bottle one last time to take down the monster and save his town for good.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Despite lifesaving measures, the man died from his injuries, according to Adger.—
Julie Mendes,
AZCentral.com,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Alvarez, who excelled after returning from the minors, also showed his toughness while playing through injuries to both of his hands down the stretch.—
Drew VonScio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Colleagues who failed to take similar pains earned his everlasting disdain.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Like regular depression, SAD can cause negative feelings like hopelessness, worthlessness, irritability, and guilt; fatigue or reduced energy; a loss of interest in hobbies and activities; and even physical aches and pains (including headaches, cramps, and digestive problems).—
Maggie O'Neill,
SELF,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
With increasing space traffic from various nations and private companies, keeping tabs on potential collisions and threats becomes crucial.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
That marked a significant cooling of tensions, after a recent volley of tariff threats and fresh export curbs threatened to derail the bilateral relationship.—
Bloomberg,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The internet gives us more opportunity to be exposed to noteworthy terrors from other countries.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
-
It's been a consistently reliable genre in the decades since, pairing mental anguish and unreliable perspectives with nightmarish imagery and terrors that lie just beyond our perceptions.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Smith said that the initial goal is to get the tool up and running and then focus on expanding the work by not only looking at events that cost over $1 billion in damages but also smaller and medium-sized events.—
Ignacio Calderon,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The Billion-Dollar Database tracks the financial costs of property and other infrastructure destroyed by extreme weather disasters in the United States, focusing on events that caused $1 billion or more in damages.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
For children, the concern is particularly great because their smaller bodies and metabolisms put them at a greater vulnerability for harms caused by exposure, according to the FDA.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
-
OpenAI’s launch of its pioneering ChatGPT sparked a global AI craze that has drawn hundreds of billions of dollars in investments into Silicon Valley technology companies, and raised alarms that the technology will lead to harms ranging from rampant unemployment to terrorism.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Afflictions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afflictions. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share