Affliction Meaning
/əˈflɪk.ʃən/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA state of pain, suffering, distress or agony.
nounSomething which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony.
Sentence Examples
That which is a feast to one is an affliction to another.
A feast to one is an affliction to another.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The chronic pain was a terrible ____ that kept him from working.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The old man suffered from a painful ____ that limited his movement.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English affliction, affliccioun, from Old French afliction, borrowed from Latin afflīctiōnem (“pain, suffering, torment”), from Latin afflīctō (“to damage, harass, torment”), from ad- + flīctus, past participle of afflīgō (“strike, beat”), from ad- + flīgō (“strike”) (whence af-). By surface analysis, afflict + -ion.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"BEAT on, proud billows; Boreas blow; / Swell, curled waves, high as Jove's roof; / Your incivility doth ſhow, / That innocence is tempeſt proof; / Though ſurly Nereus frown, my thoughts are calm; / Then ſtrike, Affliction, for thy wounds are balm. [Attributed to Roger L'Estrange (1616–1704).]"
— 1781, [Mostyn John Armstrong], History and Antiquities of the County of Norfolk. Volume IX. Containing the Hundreds of Smithdon, Taverham, Tunstead, Walsham, and Wayland, volume IX, Norwich: Printed by J. Crouse, for M. Booth, bookseller, →OCLC, page 51:
"She wore a man's long ulster (not as if it were an affliction, but as if it were very comfortable and belonged to her; carried it like a young soldier) [...]"
— 1913, Willa Cather, O Pioneers!:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The chronic pain was a terrible ____ that kept him from working.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The old man suffered from a painful ____ that limited his movement.