Definition of AFFLICTIONS (original) (raw)
1
: a cause of persistent pain or distress
2
: great suffering
felt empathy with their affliction
3
: the state of being afflicted by something that causes suffering
her affliction with polio
Synonyms
Examples of affliction in a Sentence
She lost her sight and is now learning to live with her affliction. He died from a mysterious affliction.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Autism is not an affliction nor a catastrophic tragedy. —
S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 29 Jan. 2025 In the Nikola Jokic era of the Denver Nuggets, one of the team’s perennial afflictions has been a consistently poor performance by their bench relative to the rest of the NBA. —Joel Rush, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025 We are told to find consolation in the creative and prolific souls who share the affliction: the Brontës, Baudelaire, Kafka, Proust, Nabokov. —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025 The character was meant to be a nod to the friend that the Whannell family lost, while creating an early parallel to the affliction that Blake suffers upon his return home in 2025. —Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for affliction 
Word History
Etymology
Middle English affliccioun "misery, distress, self-inflicted pain," borrowed from Anglo-French afflicion, borrowed from Late Latin afflīctiōn-, afflīctiō, from Latin afflīgere "to afflict" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3
Time Traveler
The first known use of affliction was in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near affliction
Cite this Entry
“Affliction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affliction. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 9 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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