afflicted; afflicting; afflicts
1
Examples of afflict in a Sentence
The disease afflicts an estimated two million people every year.
the South was afflicted by a severe drought
Recent Examples on the Web
In most cases, the faithful afflicted by the evil one need only a comfortable chair (better if equipped with armrests) to accompany the exorcistic celebration.
—
Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
The Canadian national conscience is rightly troubled by the serious social problems afflicting Indigenous Canada.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 27 Dec. 2025
Furthermore, regulatory sclerosis afflicts housing and infrastructure.
—Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 25 Dec. 2025
Petek and others have warned about the possibility of a serious recession afflicting the national economy which would exacerbate the budget’s imbalance and strain California’s emergency reserves, which have already been tapped to cover shortfalls.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for afflict
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.
Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
The Canadian national conscience is rightly troubled by the serious social problems afflicting Indigenous Canada.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 27 Dec. 2025
Furthermore, regulatory sclerosis afflicts housing and infrastructure.
—Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 25 Dec. 2025
Petek and others have warned about the possibility of a serious recession afflicting the national economy which would exacerbate the budget’s imbalance and strain California’s emergency reserves, which have already been tapped to cover shortfalls.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for afflict
Cite this Entry
“Afflict.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/afflict. Accessed 4 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
afflict
verb
af·flict
ə-ˈflikt 
: to cause suffering or unhappiness to
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share