Affect — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun /ə-ˈfekt/ (verb) /ˈa-ˌfekt/ (noun) af·fect

Meaning & Definition of Affect

Affect (verb)

  1. to produce an effect upon (someone or something):
  2. to act on and cause a change in (someone or something)
  3. to cause illness, symptoms, etc., in (someone or something)
  4. to put on a false appearance of (something), to pretend to feel, have, or do (something), feign
  5. to often or usually wear or have (something), to be given to (a preferred style of dress, speech, etc.)
  6. to make a display of liking or using (something), to ostentatiously cultivate or claim (a quality, attitude, etc.)

Affect (noun)

  1. a set of observable manifestations of an experienced emotion, the facial expressions, gestures, postures, vocal intonations, etc., that typically accompany an emotion
  2. the conscious emotion that occurs in reaction to a thought or experience
  3. feeling, affection

Affect (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response

    "their son claims that scary movies don't affect him in the least"

    similar: impact, impress, influence, move, reach, strike, sway, tell (on), touch, get to
    related: carry away, dazzle, enrapture, entrance, enthrall, ravish, transport, bias, color, inspire, stir, engage, interest, involve, penetrate, pierce, afflict, agitate, bother, concern, discomfort, discompose, disquiet, distress, disturb, fluster, harass, harry, perturb, pester, plague, smite, strain, stress, trouble, try, upset, worry, wring, allure, attract, bewitch, captivate, charm, enchant, fascinate
    near: bore, jade, pall, tire, weary, underwhelm

  2. to be the business or affair of

    "fortunately, hurricane season doesn't affect the West Coast"

    similar: concern, involve, touch
    related: appertain (to), apply (to), bear (on), pertain (to), refer (to), relate (to), embroil, ensnare, entangle, implicate

  3. to present a false appearance of

    "she affected complete unawareness that we were talking about her, though she must have overheard"

    similar: act, assume, bluff, counterfeit, dissemble, fake, feign, pass (for), pretend, profess, put on, sham, simulate, make believe
    related: dissimulate, impersonate, let on, masquerade, play, playact, pose, forge, imitate, camouflage, conceal, disguise, mask, feint, malinger

  4. to go to or spend time in often

    "a power couple known to affect all the fancy parties in town"

    similar: frequent, habituate, hang (at), haunt, resort (to), visit
    related: patronize, attend, take in, infest, invade, overrun, swarm, call (on or upon), drop by, drop in, pop (in), run (in), stop (by or in), camp (out in), sojourn (at), stay (at), stop (over), tarry (in)
    opposite: avoid, shun
    near: dodge, duck, elude, escape, eschew, evade, shake

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Affect

The most common words with a similar meaning to Affect:

impact, impress, influence, move, reach, strike, sway, tell (on), touch, concern, involve, get to, act, assume, bluff, counterfeit, dissemble, fake, feign, pass (for), pretend, profess, put on, sham, simulate, frequent, habituate, hang (at), haunt, resort (to), visit, make believe

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Affect

Words with the opposite meaning of Affect:

avoid, shun

Related Words for Affect

carry away, dazzle, enrapture, entrance, enthrall, ravish, transport, bias, color, inspire, stir, engage, interest, penetrate, pierce, afflict, agitate, bother, discomfort, discompose, disquiet, distress, disturb, fluster, harass, harry, perturb, pester, plague, smite

Near Antonyms of Affect

bore, jade, pall, tire, weary, underwhelm, dodge, duck, elude, escape, eschew, evade, shake

Word Forms of Affect

Inflections: affected, affecting, affects

Derived words: affectability (noun), affectable (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Affect

Middle English affecten, borrowed from Latin affectus, past participle of afficere "to produce an effect on, exert an influence on," from ad- ad- + facere "to do, make, bring about" fact

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Affect

Frequently Asked Questions about Affect

What does "Affect" mean?

"Affect" means to produce an effect upon (someone or something):. As an a verb and a noun, it is defined as: to produce an effect upon (someone or something):. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Affect"?

Other words for "Affect" include impact, impress, influence, move, reach, strike, sway and tell (on). The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Affect" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Affect"?

There are 119 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Affect". Common alternatives include impact, impress, influence, move, reach, strike, sway, tell (on), touch and concern.

What is the opposite of "Affect"?

Antonyms of "Affect" include avoid and shun. Near antonyms include bore, jade, pall and tire.

How do you use "Affect" in a sentence?

Examples of "Affect" in a sentence: "their son claims that scary movies don't affect him in the least"; "fortunately, hurricane season doesn't affect the West Coast"; "she affected complete unawareness that we were talking about her, though she must have overheard".

Is "Affect" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Affect" can be used as a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Affect" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Affect" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+. It is on the Academic Word List, so it appears often in IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, and university texts.

How do you pronounce "Affect"?

"Affect" is pronounced /ə-ˈfekt/ as a verb and /ˈa-ˌfekt/ as a noun and divided into syllables as af·fect.