affliction

[ uh-flik-shuhn ]
See synonyms for affliction on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a state of pain, distress, or grief; misery: They sympathized with us in our affliction.

  2. a cause of mental or bodily pain, as sickness, loss, calamity, or persecution.

Origin of affliction

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English affliccioun, from Latin afflīctiōn-, stem of afflīctiō; equivalent to afflict + -ion

synonym study For affliction

2. Affliction, adversity, misfortune, trial refer to an event or circumstance that is hard to bear. A misfortune is any adverse or unfavorable occurrence: He had the misfortune to break his leg. Affliction suggests not only a serious misfortune but the emotional effect of this: Blindness is an affliction. Adversity suggests a calamity or distress: Job remained patient despite all his adversities. Trial emphasizes the testing of one's character in undergoing misfortunes, trouble, etc.: His son's conduct was a great trial to him.

Other words for affliction

Opposites for affliction

Other words from affliction

  • af·flic·tion·less, adjective
  • o·ver·af·flic·tion, noun
  • pre·af·flic·tion, noun

Words Nearby affliction

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use affliction in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for affliction

affliction

/ (əˈflɪkʃən) /


noun
  1. a condition of great distress, pain, or suffering

  2. something responsible for physical or mental suffering, such as a disease, grief, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012