Adjacent Words

Afflict definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

AFFLICT', v.t. [L. affligo, afflicto, of ad and figo, to strike; eng. flog; Gr. to strike;, L. plaga, a stroke. Hence, eng. flail, g being suppressed; L. flagellum. See Flog.]
1. To give to the body or mind pain which is continued or of some permanence; to grieve, or distress; as, one is afflicted with the gout, or with melancholy, or with losses and misfortunes.
They affect thy heritage, O Lord. Psalms 95.
2. To trouble; to harass; to distress.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: cause great unhappiness for; distress; "she was afflicted by the death of her parents"
2: cause physical pain or suffering in; "afflict with the plague" [syn: afflict, smite]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb Etymology: Middle English, from Latin afflictus, past participle of affligere to cast down, from ad- + fligere to strike — more at profligate Date: 14th century 1. obsolete a. humble b. overthrow 2. a. to distress so severely as to cause persistent suffering or anguish <afflicted with arthritis> b. trouble, injure Synonyms: afflict, try, torment, torture, rack mean to inflict on a person something that is hard to bear. afflict is a general term and applies to the causing of pain or suffering or of acute annoyance, embarrassment, or any distress <ills that afflict the elderly>. try suggests imposing something that strains the powers of endurance or of self-control <children often try their parents' patience>. torment suggests persecution or the repeated inflicting of suffering or annoyance <a horse tormented by flies>. torture adds the implication of causing unbearable pain or suffering <tortured by a sense of guilt>. rack stresses straining or wrenching <a body racked by pain>.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. inflict bodily or mental suffering on. Phrases and idioms: afflicted with suffering from. Derivatives: afflictive adj. Etymology: ME f. L afflictare, or afflict- past part. stem of affligere (as AD-, fligere flict- dash)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Afflict Af*flict", p. p. & a. [L. afflictus, p. p.] Afflicted. [Obs.] --Becon.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Afflict Af*flict", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Afflicted; p. pr. & vb. n. Afflicting.] [L. afflictus, p. p. of affigere to cast down, deject; ad + fligere to strike: cf. OF. aflit, afflict, p. p. Cf. Flagellate.] 1. To strike or cast down; to overthrow. [Obs.] ``Reassembling our afflicted powers.'' --Milton. 2. To inflict some great injury or hurt upon, causing continued pain or mental distress; to trouble grievously; to torment. They did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. --Exod. i. 11. That which was the worst now least afflicts me. --Milton. 3. To make low or humble. [Obs.] --Spenser. Men are apt to prefer a prosperous error before an afflicted truth. --Jer. Taylor. Syn: To trouble; grieve; pain; distress; harass; torment; wound; hurt.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(afflicts, afflicting, afflicted) If you are afflicted by pain, illness, or disaster, it affects you badly and makes you suffer. (FORMAL) Italy has been afflicted by political corruption for decades... There are two main problems which afflict people with hearing impairments... = affect VERB: be V-ed by/with n, V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. Grieve, distress, trouble, try, torment, agonize, plague, pain, hurt, harass, wound, exercise, grind, persecute, smite, make sorrowful.

Moby Thesaurus

abuse, affect, aggrieve, agitate, agonize, ail, anguish, annoy, befoul, bewitch, bite, blight, bother, break down, bring to tears, burden, burn, chafe, condemn, convulse, corrupt, crucify, crush, curse, cut, cut up, damage, debilitate, defile, deprave, derange, desolate, despoil, destroy, devitalize, disable, disadvantage, discomfort, disorder, disquiet, disserve, distress, disturb, do a mischief, do evil, do ill, do wrong, do wrong by, doom, draw tears, embitter, enervate, enfeeble, envenom, excruciate, fester, fret, gall, get into trouble, give pain, gnaw, grate, grieve, grind, gripe, harass, harm, harrow, harry, hex, hospitalize, hurt, impair, incapacitate, indispose, infect, inflame, inflict pain, injure, inundate, invalid, irk, irritate, jinx, kill by inches, lacerate, lay up, load with care, maltreat, martyr, martyrize, menace, mistreat, molest, nip, oppress, outrage, overwhelm, pain, persecute, perturb, pester, pierce, pinch, plague, play havoc with, play hob with, poison, pollute, prejudice, press, prick, prolong the agony, prostrate, put to it, put to torture, rack, rankle, rasp, reduce, rub, savage, scathe, sicken, smite, sorrow, stab, sting, strike, taint, threaten, torment, torture, trouble, try, tweak, twist, upset, vex, violate, weaken, worry, wound, wreak havoc on, wring, wrong