Meanings
plural afflictions
- countableuncountableA state of pain, suffering, distress or agony.
BEAT on, proud billows; Boreas blow; / Swell, curled waves, high as Jove's roof; / Your incivility doth ſhow, / That innocence is tempeſt proof; / Though ſurly Nereus frown, my thoughts are calm; / Then ſtrike, Affliction, for thy wounds are balm. [Attributed to Roger L'Estrange (1616–1704).]
1781, [Mostyn John Armstrong], History and Antiquities of the County of Norfolk. Volume IX. Containing the Hundreds of Smithdon, Taverham, Tunstead, Walsham, and Wayland, volume IX, Norwich: Printed by J. Crouse, for M. Booth, bookseller, →OCLC, page 51 - countableuncountableSomething which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony.
She wore a man's long ulster (not as if it were an affliction, but as if it were very comfortable and belonged to her; carried it like a young soldier) [...]
1913, Willa Cather, O Pioneers!
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Latinafflīctō“to damage, harass, torment”
- Latinafflīctiōnem“pain, suffering, torment”
- Old Frenchafliction
- Middle Englishaffliction
- Englishaffliction
From Middle English affliction, affliccioun, from Old French afliction, borrowed from Latin afflīctiōnem (“pain, suffering, torment”), from Latin afflīctō (“to damage, harass, torment”), from ad- + flīctus, past participle of afflīgō (“strike, beat”), from ad- + flīgō (“strike”) (whence af-). By surface analysis, afflict + -ion.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek θλῖψις
- θλῖψις (thlîpsis)a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Bulgarian болка, измъчване
- болка (bolka)a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- измъчване (izmăčvane)a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- огорчение (ogorčenie)a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Chinese Cantonese 痛苦
- 痛苦a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Chinese Mandarin 痛苦
- 痛苦 (tòngkǔ)a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Czech trápení, utrpení
- trápenía state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- utrpenía state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- souženía state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- strastsomething which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony
- potížsomething which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony
- trápenísomething which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony
- neduhsomething which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony
- neštěstísomething which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony
Dutch lijden, pijn
- lijdena state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- pijna state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- aandoeningsomething which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony
- kwellingsomething which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony
Esperanto aflikto
- afliktoa state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Finnish kärsimys, tuska
- kärsimysa state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- tuskaa state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
French affliction, détresse
- afflictiona state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- détressea state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- afflictionsomething which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony
German Leiden, Behinderung
- Leidena state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- Behinderunga state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Irish angar, galar
- angara state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- galara state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- doilíosa state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Italian afflizione, afflizione
- afflizionea state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- afflizionesomething which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony
Malay kepayahan
- kepayahana state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Polish cierpienie, przypadłość
- cierpieniea state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- przypadłośća state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- afekcjaa state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Portuguese aflição
- afliçãoa state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Russian страда́ние, печа́ль
- страда́ние (stradánije)a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- печа́ль (pečálʹ)a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- огорче́ние (ogorčénije)a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- боль (bolʹ)a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- го́ре (góre)a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- муче́ние (mučénije)a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Spanish aflicción, quebranto
- afliccióna state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- quebrantoa state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Turkish ızdırap, dert
- ızdırapa state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- derta state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
- kedera state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with affliction
Cite this entry
affliction. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/affliction
“affliction.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/affliction. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “affliction,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/affliction.
Source: affliction on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.