Affliction
/əˈflɪkʃən/
nounIntermediate📊CommonEmotion
1 meaning2 questions
Definitions
1
A state of suffering or distress caused by illness, injury, or misfortune.
/əˈflɪkʃən/
nounnegativeIntermediate
Emotion
Something that causes pain or suffering
His chronic back pain was a constant affliction.
💡 Simply: Something that makes you suffer.
More Examples
2
The drought was a great affliction on the farmers.
How It's Used
Medical
"The doctor examined the patient's affliction."
Literary
"Her affliction was a source of great sorrow."
From Old French *afliction, from Latin affligere "to strike down, distress".
The word 'affliction' has been used to describe both physical and mental suffering for centuries, often found in religious texts.
Memory tip
Think of 'afflict' meaning to cause pain, so 'affliction' is the pain itself.
Word Origin
LanguageLatin
Original meaning
"to strike down, distress"
Base: afflict
severe afflictionchronic afflictionmental affliction
Common misspellings
aflictionafliictionaflicktion
Practice
Usage
20%Spoken
80%Written