as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to
the South was afflicted by a severe drought he's been afflicted by nightmares ever since the accident
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Recent Examples of afflict
Attack has been the most heavily afflicted, with Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus all requiring surgery.
—
Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 15 May 2025
Created in partnership with Japanese investment company SBI, the fund is intended to play a part in addressing a thorny problem that afflicts the United Kingdom’s venture ecosystem - namely, a relative shortage of growth-stage capital.
—Trevor Clawson, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Where since the 1980s, Father John Moretta has counseled parishioners at Resurrection Church in Boyle Heights on the troubles that afflict their neighborhood.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Recent research suggests that the global area afflicted by lethal heat waves would triple in size in coming decades even if global climate agreements — which President Trump exited on his first day in office — were kept.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for afflict
Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 15 May 2025
Created in partnership with Japanese investment company SBI, the fund is intended to play a part in addressing a thorny problem that afflicts the United Kingdom’s venture ecosystem - namely, a relative shortage of growth-stage capital.
—Trevor Clawson, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Where since the 1980s, Father John Moretta has counseled parishioners at Resurrection Church in Boyle Heights on the troubles that afflict their neighborhood.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Recent research suggests that the global area afflicted by lethal heat waves would triple in size in coming decades even if global climate agreements — which President Trump exited on his first day in office — were kept.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for afflict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for afflict
Verb
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But visa issues may plague the lead-up to the event — and not just for athletes but the vast Olympics ecosystem, from coaches and families to sponsors and vendors to, of course, attendees.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
5 June 2025
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The wallet aims to solve cross-border payment challenges that have long plagued African creators.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
5 June 2025
Verb
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Leopoldo chose to be the voice of the people who elected him, and was persecuted for it.—
Imamu "Mu" Tomlinson,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
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After being persecuted for the nature of her work, the political scientist arrived to the U.S. in 2022 on a visa.—
Nicole Acevedo,
NBC news,
27 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Afflict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afflict. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.
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