Synonyms of afflictions

afflictions

noun

plural of affliction

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

• distresses
• pains
• agonies
• miseries
• anguishes
• torments
• tribulations
• woes
• tortures
• straits
• discomforts
• sorrows
• pangs
• travails
• hurts
• hardships
• racks
• dangers
• troubles
• excruciations
• heartbreaks
• heartaches
• difficulties
• emergencies
• aches
• crucibles
• trials
• rigors
• asperities
• crosses
• stitches
• throes
• jeopardies
• twinges
• pinches

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• consolations
• comforts
• solaces
• alleviations
• eases
• reliefs
• securities
• assuagements
• peaces
• well-beings

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

• curses
• threats
• banes
• nemeses
• scourges
• dangers
• menaces
• risks
• hazards
• perils
• troubles
• pitfalls
• snags
• jinxes
• hoodoos
• booby traps
• hexes
• catches

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• benefits
• goods
• blessings
• advantages
• gifts
• windfalls
• aids
• help
• felicities
• reliefs
• consolations
• supports
• comforts
• boons
• pleasures
• joys
• assistances
• godsends
• delights
• mannas
• securities
• solaces
• defenses
• safeguards
• protections
• shields
• guards
• safeties
• armors

3

as in demons

a source of persistent emotional distress

suffered from afflictions that only a professional therapist could deal with

Synonyms & Similar Words

• demons
• terrors
• torments
• hang-ups
• bugaboos
• bugbears
• ogres
• hobgoblins
• bogeys
• bêtes noires

4

as in injuries

something that causes loss or pain

cronyism and corruption are afflictions on the body politic

Synonyms & Similar Words

• injuries
• damages
• harms
• detriments
• hurts
• injustices
• indignities
• insults
• disabilities
• outrages
• affronts
• wrongs
• impairments
• wounds
• lesions
• disfigurements
• mayhem
• beatings
• mutilations
• offenses
• swellings
• scars
• darts
• disablements
• disservices
• abrasions
• bruises
• contusions
• scratches
• strains
• ruptures
• lacerations
• burns
• defacements
• gashes
• concussions
• scalds
• scrapes
• bumps
• boo-boos
• sears
• cuts
• chafes
• scathes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recoveries
• remedies
• cures
• fixes

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of afflictions

But at the conference many seemed to think that the disease could soon join scurvy and smallpox in the annals of yesterday’s afflictions. — Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026

Their afflictions have been called everything from hysteria to demonic possession. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 Oct. 2026

Anyone arguing otherwise either believes in human enslavement, has no grasp of history, or suffers from both afflictions. — Literary Hub, 19 Oct. 2026

Some of this criticism can be chalked up to differing interpretations of the science, and of how best to treat stubborn afflictions such as anxiety and depression when all of the remedies have potential downsides. — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026

From ancient Rome to early modern England, it was recommended for treating a wild spectrum of afflictions—from simple sores to the bubonic plague. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026

And yet, besieged by the same afflictions of greed, self-interest and a comical inability to work together, horse racing is doing its damndest to similarly mess up its very good thing. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2026

But the payoff, Zehnder argues, could be potential cures for our afflictions drawn from the great tree of life. — Ari Daniel, NPR, 13 July 2026

People commonly used tobacco to treat many ailments, including indigestion, respiratory problems, pain and loathsome mouth afflictions. — Katherine Ott, The Conversation, 2 July 2026