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 People commonly used tobacco to treat many ailments, including indigestion, respiratory problems, pain and loathsome mouth afflictions. — Katherine Ott, The Conversation, 2 July 2026 That combination — some sonic nostalgia mixed with an affliction for lyrical pop — helped make the track the biggest British single of 2024. — ABC News, 18 June 2026 Nilsson admits to suffering from horror vacui—a fear of empty space, which in her case reads less like a neurotic affliction than like compulsive conviviality. — Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026 They were considered to have strange physical afflictions or weak mental attitudes, and some people with endocrine diseases were even dismissed as ‘freaks’ and heckled in circuses or locked away in institutions. — Literary Hub, 20 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for affliction

Recent Examples of Synonyms for affliction

Noun

Deed theft often exploits grief, financial distress, inheritance disputes and the limited resources of older homeowners.

— Landon Dais, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
The investors said they were alerted to the company’s financial distress by a September 2025 article published in The Cut.

— Sabrina Willmer, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of distress

Noun

Outpouring of grief The sound of sobbing underlays chanting in dozens of dialects woven together in a single expression of sorrow for Imam Hussein and his companions and family, killed and taken captive in the defining event of Shia Islam.

— Jane Arraf, NPR, 10 Aug. 2026
Flitting between deadpan sorrow and impassioned romance, Bridgers’ album is alternately spooky, hilarious, mysterious and sneakily moving.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of sorrow

Noun

Clementine, the oldest daughter, takes control to help break out the other children, and Mary, in telling her story publicly, has agency in rectifying the familial curse.

— Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026
What did Widow’s Bay creator and showrunner Katie Dippold see in Matthew Rhys as Tom Loftis, mayor of the New England island town plagued by a historic curse?

— Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of curse

Noun

Later in the episode, Big Bang‘s Wil Wheaton shows up to reveal to Stuart that Bernadette is in fact a demon and is killed by Bert (Posehn) in a magic power duel.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026
Slater’s script follows an exorcist names Jefferson Haddock (Bacon), who is called into an isolated witness protection property to deal with a terrifying demon, accidentally unleashing a force that threatens to end him and everything around him.

— Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of demon

Noun

Such is the ecstasy, the agony, of judgment, which was never for their benefit.

— Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2026
The man with almost no injury was writhing in agony, while the man with a four-inch nail lodged near his brain kept working for six days, not even realizing the nail was there.

— Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of agony

Noun

Her boisterous pre-teen twins Ethan and Caleb are too young to grasp quite what’s at stake; high school sophomore Sophie (Sandler) has rather more vivid memories of going through this anguish before.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
But Alys recognizes the anguish of a man just beginning his cursed life.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of anguish

Browse Nearby Words

afflicting

affliction

afflictions

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Style

“Affliction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affliction. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of affliction

noun

Example Sentences

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