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
Worse still, the politics of the Iran deal that afflicted Democrats in the last decade would likely be adopted by the GOP.
—
The Editors, National Review, 17 Apr. 2025
Other pests and diseases that afflict Japanese cherries include powdery mildew, borers, mites and tent caterpillars.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025
As inflation, tariffs, and other economic woes start afflicting the working class, Americans must not ignore the quiet rumble of tax reform on Capitol Hill, which poses additional concerns for those who are already struggling -- especially the most financially vulnerable among us.
—Jack Salmon, National Review, 14 Apr. 2025
For instance, if your potatoes and tomatoes are afflicted with black spot, don't plant your rose in the vegetable garden.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for afflict
The Editors, National Review, 17 Apr. 2025
Other pests and diseases that afflict Japanese cherries include powdery mildew, borers, mites and tent caterpillars.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025
As inflation, tariffs, and other economic woes start afflicting the working class, Americans must not ignore the quiet rumble of tax reform on Capitol Hill, which poses additional concerns for those who are already struggling -- especially the most financially vulnerable among us.
—Jack Salmon, National Review, 14 Apr. 2025
For instance, if your potatoes and tomatoes are afflicted with black spot, don't plant your rose in the vegetable garden.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for afflict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for afflict
Verb
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Puerto Rico is frequently plagued by power outages, with the most recent island-wide event on New Year's Eve taking days to resolve.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
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Now a depth arm in the organization who was called up from triple-A Oklahoma City for a spot start Wednesday, Miller’s first MLB outing of 2025 mirrored the struggles that plagued him over the rest of 2024.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
In a video posted to his Truth Social platform in December 2023, Trump accused the FBI and DOJ of sending undercover spies to churches to persecute people of faith.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
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The statement concluded with an expression of solidarity with Christians who are persecuted.—
Chloe Breyer,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Afflict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afflict. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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