verb
-
(tr) to cause suffering or unhappiness to; distress greatly
Other Word Forms
- afflicter noun
- afflictive adjective
- overafflict verb (used with object)
- preafflict verb (used with object)
- self-afflicting adjective
- unafflicting adjective
Etymology
Origin of afflict
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English afflicten, from Latin afflīctus “distressed,” past participle of afflīgere “to cast down” ( af- af- + flīg- “knock” + -tus past participle suffix); replacing Middle English aflight, from Middle French aflit, from Latin; inflict
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
So why not expect a similar awful fate to afflict China as the aftershocks of its 2020 real-estate crash reverberate?
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026
However distanced you may feel from these effects, it’s worth pointing out that historically, what happens to Black workers comes to afflict all of America.
From Slate • Sep. 10, 2025
Where since the 1980s, Father John Moretta has counseled parishioners at Resurrection Church in Boyle Heights on the troubles that afflict their neighborhood.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2025
Her purpose: “to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”
From Salon • Aug. 18, 2024
Lustig sat down, and the three men let the wonder and terror of the thought afflict them.
From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.