affliction

noun

af·​flic·​tion ə-ˈflik-shən 

1

: a cause of persistent pain or distress

a mysterious affliction

2

: great suffering

felt empathy with their affliction

3

: the state of being afflicted by something that causes suffering

her affliction with polio

Synonyms

• agony
• anguish
• distress
• excruciation
• hurt
• misery
• pain
• rack
• strait(s)
• torment
• torture
• travail
• tribulation
• woe

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

The brand’s initial products—balms and salves—are crafted specifically to address chronic muscle pain and inflammation, common afflictions for anyone who’s put their body through rigorous physical demands. —Javier Hasse, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

Here, the setting is primarily the apartment where Callas spent the last days of her life—dying ostensibly from a heart attack, but suffering from numerous afflictions—at the age of 53 in 1977. —Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2024

Now a young adult experiencing troubling blackouts, after which freshly eviscerated bodies always seem to be present, Anna the Ripper decides to take up with a psychiatrist (Eric Porter) who attempts to cure her of her murderous affliction. —Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 30 Oct. 2024

But embarrassment, these days, is a partisan affliction. —Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024

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

Kids Definition

affliction

noun

af·​flic·​tion ə-ˈflik-shən 

1

: the state of being afflicted

2

: something that causes pain or unhappiness