AFFLICTION Synonyms: 234 Similar and Opposite Words

affliction

noun

ə-ˈflik-shən

Definition of affliction

as in distress

a state of great suffering of body or mind she listened with deep affliction as her daughter told her about the latest trouble she was in

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in sorrow

deep sadness especially for the loss of someone or something loved felt such great affliction over the destruction of the beautiful old home

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in curse

a source of harm or misfortune alcohol has been his affliction ever since he took his first drink at the age of 12

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in demon

a source of persistent emotional distress suffered from afflictions that only a professional therapist could deal with

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as in injury

something that causes loss or pain cronyism and corruption are afflictions on the body politic

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of affliction From ancient Rome to early modern England, it was recommended for treating a wild spectrum of afflictions—from simple sores to the bubonic plague. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026 Broadfield also suffers from a location that sits on the fringes of the town, a regular affliction of grounds built in the last 30 years that can leave a club feeling slightly apart from their community. — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026 And yet, besieged by the same afflictions of greed, self-interest and a comical inability to work together, horse racing is doing its damndest to similarly mess up its very good thing. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2026 Whether the next crop of Republican candidates follows the clickbait commentators will tell us if this inversion is a Democratic or American affliction. — Aaron Kaplowitz, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for affliction

Recent Examples of Synonyms for affliction

Noun

The patient's distress was intense at first, Dugas said, but diminished considerably by the second day.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
CoreWeave credit default swaps hit distress levels as investors soured on AI debt.

— Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of distress

Noun

Wichita Mayor Lily Wu said on her personal Facebook page that the incident left her filled with sorrow.

— Dennis Romero, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026
Like many songwriters who’ve ever poured their romantic sorrows out in their music, the challenge in this new era was getting acquainted with writing from a place of happiness instead, which can be a source of anxiety itself.

— Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of sorrow

Noun

For their version, which follows a young teen boy (Bean Reid’s Sam) who works to find his missing brother in a town haunted by an evil crop curse, the answer was pumpkin guts.

— Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 18 Oct. 2026
The money, which added up to many millions in today’s dollars, was a blessing and a curse.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of curse

Noun

No ghosts, ghouls, or demons here, just the evil things that greed makes people do, at least until the little guy starts fighting back.

— Eve Batey, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026
Written and directed by Jeremy Slater, the film follows Jefferson Haddock (Bacon), who is called into an isolated witness protection property to deal with a terrifying demon, unleashing a force that threatens to end him and everything around him.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of demon

Noun

The ship’s 21 crew members were safely evacuated and no injuries were reported, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
His injuries were deemed non-life-threatening, and police said he is being taken to a Dallas-area hospital for further treatment.

— Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of injury

Noun

The minutes had passed so quickly for the rest of the world, but for the families waiting to learn whether their children were alive, the abrupt end of the gunfire wasn’t the end of their agony.

— Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
The daughters of burning witches were sometimes made to stand close to the pyre, being whipped by locals while watching their mothers die in agony.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of agony

Noun

Set to a downtempo bachata, the track features Lorén’s penetrating vocals filled with anguish at the impossible cycle of working endlessly to make ends meet.

— Vanessa Diaz, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2026
Abrams does yeoman’s work with a character stuck in a tight spot for most of the running time, constantly grunting and gasping with a mixture of anguish and exhaustion as his body gets progressively more beat up and broken.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of anguish

Noun

After a big road win against longtime nemesis Oregon, video posted online showed Chesney delivering a fiery speech to his team in the tunnel before facing the Ducks.

— Jordan Puente, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
But Bond’s most enduring nemesis has nothing to do with Blofeld’s white cat.

— Luka Ladan, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of nemesis

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afflicting

affliction

afflictions

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Affliction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affliction. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of affliction

noun

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