afflicted

American  

[uh-flik-tid] / əˈflɪk tɪd /

adjective

1. greatly distressed or troubled by bodily or mental pain.

   The severity of these symptoms predicts how well the afflicted individuals can live independently and maintain employment.

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noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

1. Usually the afflicted a person or persons distressed or troubled in such a way.

   Behind each of these killer diseases is the pain of despair, loneliness, and loss in the lives of the bereaved and the afflicted.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of afflict.

Other Word Forms

• afflictedness noun
• unafflicted adjective
• unafflictedly adverb
• unafflictedness noun

Etymology

Origin of afflicted

afflict ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Their decision will likely transform the already heated debate over social media addiction as a concept, what role apps may play in engineering it, and whether individuals like Kaley can prove they’re afflicted.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

This partly explains, Cembalest writes, the deindustrialization that has afflicted its economy so debilitatingly in the last few years.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 9, 2026

The West African country has long been afflicted by civil war, foreign military interventions, and Islamist insurgencies.

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2026

You’re no less afflicted if you’re a supporter who feels threatened when somebody says something negative about him.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

Hacking off afflicted parts did sometimes stop the spread of the disease, Tyrion knew, but not always.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Related Words

• depressed
• stricken