affected 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of affectednext
1
as in strained
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality affected laughter at the boss's jokes an affected southern accent

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arrogant
self-consciously trying to present an appearance of grandeur or importance with her pinkie extended, the four-year-old held her tiny teacup in that affected manner that some women have

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in inclined
having a liking or affection after years of being well affected toward their grandchildren, they did not want to lose access to them because of a bitter divorce

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

affected

2 of 3

verb (1)

past tense of affect
1
as in influenced
to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response their son claims that scary movies don't affect him in the least

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in concerned
to be the business or affair of fortunately, hurricane season doesn't affect the West Coast

Synonyms & Similar Words

affected

3 of 3

verb (2)

past tense of affect
1
as in pretended
to present a false appearance of she affected complete unawareness that we were talking about her, though she must have overheard

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in haunted
to go to or spend time in often a power couple known to affect all the fancy parties in town

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 affected
Verb
Tall thunderstorm clouds will be affected by those changing winds and rotate. — Jamie Ross, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2026 Attorneys for New Mexico had sought $35 billion to $40 billion, arguing that the company would only change its ways with a sum that affected its stock price. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 Organizations such as Albie Aware and the National Breast Cancer Foundation also offer resources for people affected by breast cancer. — Melissa May, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 However, the money does not have to be spent directly on roads affected by the development. — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026 The medical response has focused largely on treating and containing the disease, with little to no attention to the mental health of those affected. — Constant Same Bagalwa, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026 Johns Hopkins Medicine explains that the meibomian glands, which produce the oil layer of tears, are affected by the drop in estrogen, progesterone and testosterone that begins in perimenopause. — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026 French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said about 700 of the country's 10,000 supermarkets were affected. — John Leicester, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026 But other groups also stand to be affected by the recent ticks upward in poverty. — P.r. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 14 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affected
  1. strained
  2. arrogant
  3. inclined
  4. influenced
  5. concerned
  6. pretended
  7. haunted
  8. mock
Adjective
  • However, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital that Harry's willingness to publicly discuss his strained family relationships only makes the royals more reluctant to extend an olive branch.
    — Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Other governments around the world are also feeling pressure because of high debt loads and strained budgets, including the United States.
    — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of strained
Adjective
  • Ever-sensible Elinor, who never asks for much, has already met, and fallen for, Edward Ferrars (George MacKay), Fanny’s brother, as kind and modest as Fanny is arrogant.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Hal and Kate, having misread Trowbridge’s shock and dismay at the tragic death of Austin Dennison as a worse-than-usual bit of arrogant posturing, switch to Bad Cop mode.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of arrogant
Adjective
  • There’s a performance aspect to reality television, to people who are politically inclined.
    — Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
  • If the brand fits that aesthetic, the audience is far more inclined to become the brand’s customers.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of inclined
Verb
  • Anderson rose to prominence in the early 1980s with a traditional country sound influenced by artists including Merle Haggard and George Jones.
    — Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Many of the artists Anderson influenced throughout his prolific career took to social media following news of his death.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of influenced
Verb
  • Opponents of Proposition 40 are concerned that the threat of wealth taxes will lead to billionaires continuing to leave the state, resulting in a long-term decrease in state income tax revenue.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Campaign promises Castro says residents continue to be concerned about development, corruption and public safety.
    — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of concerned
Verb
  • Prosecutors said Navarrete then drove to his parents’ home with his children and pretended to discovered his parents were dead.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Tremble’s taunt after his second TD was already coming in for teasing by his teammates postgame, as running back Chuba Hubbard (120 rushing yards, one TD) pretended to be a reporter and asked Tremble about it.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of pretended
Verb
  • Berryman’s own father had committed suicide, and the thought that this was somehow to be his destiny too haunted him.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Finally, the wind seemed to permanently lie down, though storm clouds still haunted the horizon, forcing the sunset to squeeze beneath them, its rays condensed into a lurid, painterly slash.
    — Heidi Julavits, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of haunted
Adjective
  • Other footage showed personnel practicing attacks against mock armored vehicles and defensive positions.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The Lakers star waved his hand in mock disgust toward Hachimura.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of mock

Browse Nearby Words

affectation
affected
affectedly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Affected.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affected. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All