afflicted 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of afflictednext
as in troubled

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afflicted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of afflict
as in plagued
to cause persistent suffering to the South was afflicted by a severe drought he's been afflicted by nightmares ever since the accident

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 afflicted
Adjective
Some of the bikers pouring into the area are coming from distant states far more afflicted. — CBS News, 10 Aug. 2020
Verb
It’s typically diagnosed in adults — only about five births each year are afflicted by the condition nationwide. — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026 Weiss has since learned he and his uncles weren’t uniquely afflicted. — Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Those afflicted would tremble and jerk around, lose the ability to stand or swallow, and, after many months of slow suffering, die. — David Remnick, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 Repeat this process once the soil has dried again, until affected plants are no longer afflicted with pests. — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 1 Aug. 2026 Blending horror with comedy, the Apple TV show takes place in a fictitious New England island town afflicted by a centuries-old curse that brings about supernatural evils. — Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2026 In Seattle, by contrast, efforts to reduce public drug use force afflicted neighborhoods to pay a high price. — Michael Powell, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026 Lotus seems to have ironed out the hesitancy that previously afflicted the dual-clutch ’box, particularly when parking. — Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 22 July 2026 Forty-nine of the afflicted have been hospitalized; of those, thirty-four have gone home. — News Desk, Artforum, 15 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for afflicted
  1. troubled
  2. plagued
  3. disabled
  4. persecuted
  5. feeble
  6. tortured
  7. infirm
  8. besieged
Adjective
  • The engaging biopic tracks Davidson's troubled upbringing to finding a way as an adult to deal with his condition and discover needed confidence.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Watching myself in the insightful new doc Boorman and the Devil, about the troubled 1977 sequel to The Exorcist, was a very strange experience.
    — Britina Cheng, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of troubled
Verb
  • Garbage’s set was plagued by technical difficulties, but singer Shirley Manson kept her cool, joking that this was just the kind of thing the band was used to.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The research team identified opportunities to improve the atomic layer etching (ALE) approach, which offers significant advantages over the conventional methods but was plagued by difficulties for practical use.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of plagued
Adjective
  • An unidentified projectile struck and disabled an oil tanker about nine nautical miles northeast of Oman’s Ash Shishah, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported.
    — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
  • An oil tanker was struck by an unknown projectile and disabled near Oman on Monday, according to an incident report from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of disabled
Verb
  • García Luna pledged to restore independence and public confidence in the Public Ministry and began reviewing cases involving officials, journalists, and others who alleged that they had been politically persecuted under the previous administration.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Many Marranos persecuted by the Inquisition did secretly maintain a Jewish identity.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of persecuted
Adjective
  • Instead of using a mirror to gather starlight, MOTHRA has many telephoto lenses, like those on a camera, which can capture faintly glowing wisps of gas and other feeble emanations across a wider field of view.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026
  • By an act of war, committed with the participation of a diplomatic representative of the United States and without authority of Congress, the Government of a feeble but friendly and confiding people has been overthrown.
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of feeble
Verb
  • King seemed stranded in a faraway world, tortured by a discomfort that no amount of affection could soothe.
    — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Hatami has spearheaded a number of high-profile cases against child abusers in Los Angeles, California, including the murder of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez, who was tortured and killed by his mother and her boyfriend.
    — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of tortured
Adjective
  • Earlier this month, Nancy Guthrie, the elderly and infirm mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was violently taken from her home in Tucson, Arizona.
    — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 24 Feb. 2026
  • The four Democratic members of the JBC, which controls the state budget, asked with growing consternation why the Department of Corrections hadn’t brought them a plan to address overcrowding, to step up releases of old and infirm inmates, or to improve its own shortcomings.
    — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 22 Jan. 2026
Definition of infirm
Verb
  • In recent months, Israeli settlers have repeatedly besieged the village of Qusra, defying orders from the authorities to leave the area and trying to force Palestinian families, some of whom are also American citizens, out.
    — Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • There has been a spate of Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, and the village of Qusra has been besieged by Israeli settlers for weeks.
    — F. Brinley Bruton, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of besieged

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Cite this Entry

“Afflicted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afflicted. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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