Affected — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /ə-ˈfek-təd/ af·fect·ed

Meaning & Definition of Affected

Affected (adjective)

  1. having or showing an attitude or mode of behavior that is not natural or genuinely felt, given to or marked by affectation
  2. assumed artificially or falsely, pretended
  3. inclined, disposed

Affected (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. lacking in natural or spontaneous quality

    "affected laughter at the boss's jokes"

    "an affected southern accent"

    similar: artificial, assumed, bogus, contrived, factitious, fake, false, feigned, forced, mechanical, mock, phony, plastic, pretended, pseudo, put-on, sham, simulated, spurious, strained, unnatural
    related: automatic, canned, concocted, fabricated, hokey, labored, manufactured, pat, unauthentic, unreal, unrealistic, double-dealing, empty, facile, hollow, hypocritical, insincere, left-handed, mealy, mealymouthed, two-faced, unctuous, exaggerated, histrionic, melodramatic, overacted, overdone, theatrical, cute, cutesy, genteel, goody-goody, mincing, overrefined, simpering, conventional, formal, impersonal, inflexible, rigid, stiff, stylized, wooden, artful, calculated, conscious, cultivated, deliberate, premeditated, studied
    opposite: artless, genuine, natural, spontaneous, unaffected, uncontrived, unfeigned, unforced
    near: authentic, bona fide, real, realistic, right, true, honest, ingenuous, sincere, unpretending, easy, effortless, smooth, extemporaneous, impromptu, impulsive, instinctive, unconscious, unprompted, unrehearsed, unstudied

  2. self-consciously trying to present an appearance of grandeur or importance

    "with her pinkie extended, the four-year-old held her tiny teacup in that affected manner that some women have"

    similar: grandiose, high-minded, highfalutin, la-di-da, ostentatious, pompous, pretentious, snippy
    related: airy, grandiloquent, high-flown, high-sounding, high-toned, sententious, arrogant, bumptious, complacent, conceited, egoistic, egotistic, high-and-mighty, high-handed, high-hat, hoity-toity, imperious, important, overweening, presumptuous, prideful, proud, self-asserting, self-assertive, self-centered, self-complacent, self-conceited, self-important, self-obsessed, self-pleased, self-satisfied, smug, uppity, vain, vainglorious, self-aggrandizing, self-dramatizing, self-glorifying, self-promoting, cavalier, disdainful, haughty, lordly, snobbish, snobby, stuck-up, supercilious, superior, confident, self-assured, self-confident, sure, boastful, braggart, bragging, aggressive, assertive, audacious, bold, brassy, cheeky, cocky, forward, impudent, insolent, rude, flamboyant, flashy, flaunting, garish, gaudy, glitzy, showy, splashy
    opposite: modest, unpretentious
    near: demure, down-to-earth, homely, humble, lowly, meek, retiring, unassertive, unassuming, bashful, diffident, mousy, overmodest, passive, quiet, reserved, shy, timid

  3. having a liking or affection

    "after years of being well affected toward their grandchildren, they did not want to lose access to them because of a bitter divorce"

    similar: attached, fond, inclined, partial, big on
    related: crazy (about or over), enamored, enraptured, gone (on), infatuated, mad (about), nuts (about), desirous, eager, enthusiastic, excited, gung ho, keen
    opposite: allergic, averse, disinclined
    near: apathetic, cool, indifferent, uninterested, contemptuous, disdainful, scornful, antagonistic, antipathetic, hostile, alienated, disaffected, disenchanted, estranged

Affected (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: impacted, impressed, influenced, moved, reached, struck, swayed, told (on), touched, got to
    related: carried away, dazzled, enraptured, enthralled, entranced, ravished, transported, biased, colored, inspired, stirred, engaged, interested, involved, penetrated, pierced, afflicted, agitated, bothered, concerned, discomforted, discomposed, disquieted, distressed, disturbed, flustered, harassed, harried, perturbed, pestered, plagued, smote, strained, stressed, tried, troubled, upset, worried, wrung, allured, attracted, bewitched, captivated, charmed, enchanted, fascinated
    near: bored, jaded, palled, tired, wearied, underwhelmed

  2. to be the business or affair of

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

    similar: concerned, involved, touched
    related: appertained (to), applied (to), bore (on), pertained (to), referred (to), related (to), embroiled, ensnared, entangled, implicated

  3. to present a false appearance of

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

    similar: acted, assumed, bluffed, counterfeited, dissembled, faked, feigned, passed (for), pretended, professed, put on, shammed, simulated, made believe
    related: dissimulated, impersonated, let on, masqueraded, playacted, played, posed, forged, imitated, camouflaged, concealed, disguised, masked, feinted, malingered

  4. to go to or spend time in often

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

    similar: frequented, habituated, haunted, hung (at), resorted (to), visited
    related: patronized, attended, took in, infested, invaded, overran, swarmed, called (on or upon), dropped by, dropped in, popped (in), ran (in), stopped (by or in), camped (out in), sojourned (at), stayed (at), stopped (over), tarried (in)
    opposite: avoided, shunned
    near: dodged, ducked, eluded, escaped, eschewed, evaded, shook

Related Entry: Affect (verb)

Affect is a different word from Affected. The synonyms below are for affect, not for affected.

  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

Related Entry: Affect (verb)

Affect is a different word from Affected. The synonyms below are for affect, not for affected.

  1. 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

  2. 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

Related Entry: Self-affected (adjective)

Self-affected is a different word from Affected. The synonyms below are for self-affected, not for affected.

  1. as in self-conceited, self-applauding

    similar: complacent, conceited, egoistic, egotistic, important, overweening, pompous, prideful, proud, self-applauding, self-centered, self-complacent, self-conceited, self-contented, self-important, self-pleased, self-satisfied, hopeful, optimistic, rosy, sanguine, upbeat, self-promoting, smug, stuck-up, vain, vainglorious, collected, composed, cool, coolheaded, poised, recollected, self-possessed, serene, tranquil, unperturbed, unshaken, imperturbable, nerveless, unflappable, unself-conscious, unshakable, assured, confident, secure, self-asserting, self-assured, self-confident, disciplined, self-collected, self-composed, self-contained, self-controlled, self-poised, self-reliant, self-sufficient
    opposite: diffident, insecure, self-distrustful, self-doubting, meek, timid, unassertive, humble, modest, unassuming, unpretentious, jittery, jumpy, nervous, bashful, demure, mousy, overmodest, quiet, reserved, shy, self-critical, self-reproachful, self-reproving

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Affected

The most common words with a similar meaning to Affected:

artificial, assumed, bogus, contrived, factitious, fake, false, feigned, forced, mechanical, mock, phony, plastic, pretended, pseudo, put-on, sham, simulated, spurious, strained, unnatural, grandiose, high-minded, highfalutin, la-di-da, ostentatious, pompous, pretentious, snippy, attached, fond, inclined, partial, big on, impacted, impressed, influenced, moved, reached, struck

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Affected

Words with the opposite meaning of Affected:

artless, genuine, natural, spontaneous, unaffected, uncontrived, unfeigned, unforced, modest, unpretentious, allergic, averse, disinclined, avoided, shunned

Related Words for Affected

automatic, canned, concocted, fabricated, hokey, labored, manufactured, pat, unauthentic, unreal, unrealistic, double-dealing, empty, facile, hollow, hypocritical, insincere, left-handed, mealy, mealymouthed, two-faced, unctuous, exaggerated, histrionic, melodramatic, overacted, overdone, theatrical, cute, cutesy

Near Antonyms of Affected

authentic, bona fide, real, realistic, right, true, honest, ingenuous, sincere, unpretending, easy, effortless, smooth, extemporaneous, impromptu, impulsive, instinctive, unconscious, unprompted, unrehearsed, unstudied, demure, down-to-earth, homely, humble, lowly, meek, retiring, unassertive, unassuming

Word Forms of Affected

Derived words: affectedly (adverb), affectedness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Affected

from past participle of affect:2

First known use: circa 1553

Words & Phrases Containing Affected

self-affected

Frequently Asked Questions about Affected

What does "Affected" mean?

"Affected" means having or showing an attitude or mode of behavior that is not natural or genuinely felt, given to or marked by affectation. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: having or showing an attitude or mode of behavior that is not natural or genuinely felt, given to or marked by affectation. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Affected"?

Other words for "Affected" include artificial, assumed, bogus, contrived, factitious, fake, false and feigned. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Affected" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Affected"?

There are 284 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Affected". Common alternatives include artificial, assumed, bogus, contrived, factitious, fake, false, feigned, forced and mechanical.

What is the opposite of "Affected"?

Antonyms of "Affected" include artless, genuine, natural, spontaneous, unaffected, uncontrived, unfeigned and unforced. Near antonyms include authentic, bona fide, real and realistic.

How do you use "Affected" in a sentence?

Examples of "Affected" in a sentence: "affected laughter at the boss's jokes"; "an affected southern accent"; "with her pinkie extended, the four-year-old held her tiny teacup in that affected manner that some women have".

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

"Affected" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Affected"?

"Affected" is pronounced /ə-ˈfek-təd/ and divided into syllables as af·fect·ed.

What is the origin of the word "Affected"?

"Affected" comes from from past participle of affect:2. First known use: circa 1553.