Afflicting — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb adjective /ə-ˈflikt/ af·flict

Meaning & Definition of Afflicting

Afflicting (verb)

  1. to cause pain or suffering to, to distress so severely as to cause persistent suffering or anguish
  2. trouble, injure
  3. humble

Afflicting (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. hard to accept or bear especially emotionally

    "the afflicting sight of so many earthquake victims was too much even for some hardened rescue workers"

    similar: agonizing, bitter, cruel, excruciating, galling, grievous, harrowing, harsh, heartrending, hurtful, painful, tormenting, torturous
    related: insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unacceptable, unbearable, unendurable, unsupportable, appalling, awful, bad, dire, dreadful, ghastly, horrible, miserable, nasty, rotten, severe, terrible, vile, wretched, acute, extreme, intense, piercing
    opposite: gratifying, pleasing, sweet
    near: bearable, endurable, supportable, sustainable, tolerable, livable, sufferable, survivable, acceptable, allowable, reasonable

Afflicting (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to cause persistent suffering to

    "the South was afflicted by a severe drought"

    "he's been afflicted by nightmares ever since the accident"

    similar: agonizing, anguishing, bedeviling, besetting, besieging, cursing, excruciating, harrowing, persecuting, plaguing, racking, tormenting, torturing
    related: assailing, attacking, badgering, dogging, hounding, pursuing, riding, aggravating, agitating, annoying, bothering, bugging, chafing, distressing, disturbing, exasperating, galling, getting, grating, griping, hagriding, harassing, harrying, irking, irritating, molesting, nettling, peeving, pestering, piquing, putting out, rasping, riling, vexing, discomforting, discomposing, disquieting, flustering, grieving, perturbing, straining, stressing, troubling, trying, upsetting, worrying, crushing, oppressing, overpowering, overwhelming, smiting, striking, tyrannizing, victimizing, hurting, paining, panging, pricking, smarting, stabbing, stinging, wringing, martyring
    near: abetting, aiding, assisting, helping, delivering, releasing, relieving, reprieving, comforting, consoling, contenting, quieting, solacing, soothing, succoring

Related Entry: Afflict (verb)

Afflict is a different word from Afflicting. The synonyms below are for afflict, not for afflicting.

  1. to cause persistent suffering to

    "the South was afflicted by a severe drought"

    "he's been afflicted by nightmares ever since the accident"

    similar: agonize, anguish, bedevil, beset, besiege, curse, excruciate, harrow, persecute, plague, rack, torment, torture
    related: assail, attack, badger, dog, hound, pursue, ride, aggravate, agitate, annoy, bother, bug, chafe, distress, disturb, exasperate, gall, get, grate, gripe, hagride, harass, harry, irk, irritate, molest, nettle, peeve, pester, pique, put out, rasp, rile, vex, discomfort, discompose, disquiet, fluster, grieve, perturb, strain, stress, trouble, try, upset, worry, crush, oppress, overpower, overwhelm, smite, strike, tyrannize, victimize, hurt, pain, pang, prick, smart, stab, sting, wring, martyr
    near: abet, aid, assist, help, deliver, release, relieve, reprieve, comfort, console, content, quiet, solace, soothe, succor

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Afflicting

The most common words with a similar meaning to Afflicting:

agonizing, bitter, cruel, excruciating, galling, grievous, harrowing, harsh, heartrending, hurtful, painful, tormenting, torturous, anguishing, bedeviling, besetting, besieging, cursing, persecuting, plaguing, racking, torturing

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Afflicting

Words with the opposite meaning of Afflicting:

gratifying, pleasing, sweet

Related Words for Afflicting

insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unacceptable, unbearable, unendurable, unsupportable, appalling, awful, bad, dire, dreadful, ghastly, horrible, miserable, nasty, rotten, severe, terrible, vile, wretched, acute, extreme, intense, piercing, assailing, attacking, badgering, dogging, hounding

Near Antonyms of Afflicting

bearable, endurable, supportable, sustainable, tolerable, livable, sufferable, survivable, acceptable, allowable, reasonable, abetting, aiding, assisting, helping, delivering, releasing, relieving, reprieving, comforting, consoling, contenting, quieting, solacing, soothing, succoring

Word Forms of Afflicting

Inflections: afflicted, afflicts

Origin & Etymology of Afflicting

Middle English afflihten "to excite, become distressed," probably verbal derivative of affliht, aflyght "disturbed, upset," borrowed from Latin afflīctus, past participle of afflīgere "to knock or strike down, ruin, distress severely," from ad- ad- + flīgere "to strike down" profligate:1

First known use: 14th century

Frequently Asked Questions about Afflicting

What does "Afflicting" mean?

"Afflicting" means to cause pain or suffering to, to distress so severely as to cause persistent suffering or anguish. As an a verb and an adjective, it is defined as: to cause pain or suffering to, to distress so severely as to cause persistent suffering or anguish. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Afflicting"?

Other words for "Afflicting" include agonizing, bitter, cruel, excruciating, galling, grievous, harrowing and harsh. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Afflicting" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Afflicting"?

There are 109 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Afflicting". Common alternatives include agonizing, bitter, cruel, excruciating, galling, grievous, harrowing, harsh, heartrending and hurtful.

What is the opposite of "Afflicting"?

Antonyms of "Afflicting" include gratifying, pleasing and sweet. Near antonyms include bearable, endurable, supportable and sustainable.

How do you use "Afflicting" in a sentence?

Examples of "Afflicting" in a sentence: "the afflicting sight of so many earthquake victims was too much even for some hardened rescue workers"; "the South was afflicted by a severe drought"; "he's been afflicted by nightmares ever since the accident".

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

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

How do you pronounce "Afflicting"?

"Afflicting" is pronounced /ə-ˈflikt/ and divided into syllables as af·flict.

What is the origin of the word "Afflicting"?

"Afflicting" comes from Middle English afflihten "to excite, become distressed," probably verbal derivative of affliht, aflyght "disturbed, upset," borrowed from Latin afflīctus, past participle of afflīgere "to knock or strike down, ruin, distress severely," from ad- ad- + flīgere "to strike down" profligate:1. First known use: 14th century.