Meanings
present singular third person afflicts · participle present afflicting · participle past afflicted · past afflicted
- transitiveTo cause (someone) pain, suffering or distress.
[T]he wench was afflicted with religion and unapproachably austere.
1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, →OCLC, page 414 more examples
Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 1:11–12Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Leviticus 23:27To me it seems that extensive investment in relatively low-powered units may have the same ultimate result of motive power shortage as that which afflicts the London Midland Region today, and which has compelled the re-engining of some of the earlier multiple-unit diesel train sets.
1958 June 28, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 412While the defense lawyers have likened the condition to the post traumatic stress disorders afflicting war veterans and battered women, which have been used in other insanity defense cases, they have said that they know of no previous trials when a "black rage" defense has been raised.
1997 April 7, Jonathan Rabinovitz, “Hearing Held on Bid to Repress Lawyers in Murder Case”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 16 Jul 2014Synonyms: torment, torture, smite, ache, aggrieve, agonize, anguish, dere
- obsoleteTo strike or cast down; to overthrow; to result.
reassembling our afflicted powers
1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC - obsoleteTo make low or humble.
The Argument of mine afflicted stile
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC1 more example
Men are apt to prefer a prosperous error before an afflicted truth.
1651, Jer[emy] Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Francis Ashe […], →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo cause (someone) pain, suffering or distress.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinafflīctō“to damage, harass, torment”
- Middle Englishafflicten
- Englishafflict
From Middle English afflicten (attested in past participle afflicte), from Latin afflīctō (“to damage, harass, torment”), from ad- + flīctus, past participle of afflīgō (“strike, beat”), from ad- + flīgō (“strike”) (whence af-).
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian измъчвам, причинявам болка
- измъчвам (izmăčvam)to cause pain to
- причинявам болка (pričinjavam bolka)to cause pain to
Chinese Mandarin 使痛苦
- 使痛苦to cause pain to
Czech postihnout, postihovat
- postihnoutto cause pain to
- postihovatto cause pain to
- trápitto cause pain to
Dutch bedroeven, kwellen
- bedroevento cause pain to
- kwellento cause pain to
- treffento cause pain to
- teisterento cause pain to
Esperanto aflikti, malĝojigi
- afliktito cause pain to
- malĝojigito cause pain to
- ĉagrenito cause pain to
Finnish vaivata, koetella
- vaivatato cause pain to
- koetellato cause pain to
German bekümmern
- bekümmernto cause pain to
Hebrew הכאיב, ייסר
- הכאיב (hikh'ív)to cause pain to
- ייסר (yisér)to cause pain to
- אמלל (imlél)to cause pain to
Italian affliggere
- affliggereto cause pain to
Latin afflīgō
- afflīgōto cause pain to
Māori whakawhiu, makimaki
- whakawhiuto cause pain to
- makimakito cause pain to
- ngauto cause pain to
Persian آزردن, دچار کردن
- آزردن (âzordan)to cause pain to
- دچار کردن (dočâr kardan)to cause pain to
- دامنگیر کردن (dâman-gir kardan)to cause pain to
Portuguese afligir
- afligirto cause pain to
Russian причиня́ть боль, мучать
- причиня́ть боль (pričinjátʹ bolʹ)to cause pain to
- мучать (mučatʹ)to cause pain to
Spanish afligir, acorar
- afligirto cause pain to
- acorarto cause pain to
Ukrainian дошкуляти, причиняти
- дошкуляти (doškuljaty)to cause pain to
- причиняти (pryčynjaty)to cause pain to
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with afflict
Cite this entry
afflict. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/afflict
“afflict.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/afflict. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “afflict,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/afflict.
Source: afflict on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.