afflict

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /əˈflɪkt/ UK /əˈflɪkt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to cause persistent pain or suffering to someone

A rare disease afflicted the entire village.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to cause persistent pain or... plague torment trouble distress beset burden bedevil harrow

Opposites

comfort soothe relieve ease console

Word family

Derived forms afflictionafflictiveafflictedafflicter

Related forms inflict conflict profligate

Simplified etymology

Afflict came into English in the late Middle Ages from Latin afflictare, “knock about” or “harass.” Its early English senses included “deject” and “humiliate.”

Etymology

From Latin afflictare ('to damage, harass'), frequentative of affligere ('to dash down, cast down'), from ad ('to') + fligere ('to strike').

affligere Latin fligere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Register & Style

External links

# afflict

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /əˈflɪkt/
**IPA (UK):** /əˈflɪkt/

## Meanings
1. to cause persistent pain or suffering to someone

## Examples
- A rare disease afflicted the entire village.

## Synonyms
- plague
- torment
- trouble
- distress
- beset
- burden
- bedevil
- harrow

## Antonyms
- comfort
- soothe
- relieve
- ease
- console

## Derived Forms
- affliction
- afflictive
- afflicted
- afflicter

## Related Forms
- inflict
- conflict
- profligate

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: affligere
- Root: fligere

## Etymology
From Latin afflictare ('to damage, harass'), frequentative of affligere ('to dash down, cast down'), from ad ('to') + fligere ('to strike').

## AI Etymology
Afflict is from Latin afflictare ('to damage, harass'), frequentative of affligere ('to dash down, cast down'), from ad ('to') + fligere ('to strike'). In present-day use, it means to cause persistent pain or suffering to someone. Derived formations include affliction, afflictive, afflicted, and afflicter. Related vocabulary includes inflict, conflict, and profligate.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Register & Style

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