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View synonyms for affect

affect

1

[ verb uh-fekt; noun af-ekt ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to act on; produce an effect or change in:

    Cold weather affected the crops.

    Synonyms: alter, modify, sway, influence

  2. to impress the mind or move the feelings of:

    The music affected him deeply.

    Synonyms: stir, touch

  3. (of pain, disease, etc.) to attack or lay hold of.


noun

  1. Psychology. feeling or emotion.
  2. Psychiatry. an expressed or observed emotional response:

    Restricted, flat, or blunted affect may be a symptom of mental illness, especially schizophrenia.

  3. Obsolete. affection; passion; sensation; inclination; inward disposition or feeling.

affect

2

[ uh-fekt ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to give the appearance of; pretend or feign:

    to affect knowledge of the situation.

  2. to assume artificially, pretentiously, or for effect:

    to affect a Southern accent.

  3. to use, wear, or adopt by preference; choose; prefer:

    the peculiar costume he affected.

  4. to assume the character or attitude of:

    to affect the freethinker.

  5. (of things) to tend toward habitually or naturally:

    a substance that affects colloidal form.

  6. (of animals and plants) to occupy or inhabit; live in or on:

    Lions affect Africa. Moss affects the northern slopes.

  7. Archaic.
    1. to have affection for; fancy.
    2. to aim at; aspire to.

verb (used without object)

  1. Obsolete. to incline, tend, or favor (usually followed by to ):

    He affects to the old ways.

affect

1

verb

  1. to act upon or influence, esp in an adverse way

    damp affected the sparking plugs

  2. to move or disturb emotionally or mentally

    her death affected him greatly

  3. (of pain, disease, etc) to attack
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


noun

  1. psychol the emotion associated with an idea or set of ideas See also affection
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

affect

2

/ əˈfɛkt /

verb

  1. to put on an appearance or show of; make a pretence of

    to affect ignorance

  2. to imitate or assume, esp pretentiously

    to affect an accent

  3. to have or use by preference

    she always affects funereal clothing

  4. to adopt the character, manner, etc, of

    he was always affecting the politician

  5. (of plants or animals) to live or grow in

    penguins affect an arctic climate

  6. to incline naturally or habitually towards

    falling drops of liquid affect roundness

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Confusables Note

Affect1 and effect, each both noun and verb, share the sense of “influence,” and because of their similarity in pronunciation are sometimes confused in writing. As a verb affect1 means “to act on” or “to move” ( His words affected the crowd so deeply that many wept ); affect2 means “to pretend” or “to assume” ( new students affecting a nonchalance they didn't feel ). The verb effect means “to bring about, accomplish”: Her administration effected radical changes. The noun effect means “result, consequence”: the serious effects of the oil spill. The noun affect1 pronounced with the stress on the first syllable, is a technical term in psychology and psychiatry. Affect2 is not used as a noun.
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Other Words From

  • af·fecta·ble adjective
  • af·fecta·bili·ty noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of affect1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin affectus “acted upon, subjected to; mental or emotional state” (past participle and action noun of afficere ), equivalent to af- “toward” + fec- (combining form of facere “to make, do”) + -tus action noun suffix or -tus past participle suffix; af-

Origin of affect2

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French affecter, from Latin affectāre “to strive after, feign” (frequentative of afficere “to do to”), equivalent to af- af- + fec- ( affect 1 ) + -tāre frequentative suffix
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Word History and Origins

Origin of affect1

C17: from Latin affectus, past participle of afficere to act upon, from ad- to + facere to do

Origin of affect2

C15: from Latin affectāre to strive after, pretend to have; related to afficere to affect 1
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Synonym Study

See pretend.
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Example Sentences

Defects on this chromosome are more likely to affect men, who have only one copy, while women have two.

From Fortune

With this information we can continue to develop powerful new models with better accuracy for determining how different habitat factors, such as the number of milkweed stems or nectaring flowers on a landscape scale, affect the monarch population.

We are part of an international study to understand how women who are expecting to or have given birth are affected by stress related to the pandemic.

For example, it recently implemented a clothing closet, where people could donate items to assist families affected by the pandemic.

If it’s not affecting me physically or emotionally, I can’t get angry and I won’t be scared.

From Fortune

The vaccine is delivered through a “carrier virus” that causes a common cold in chimpanzees but does not affect humans.

At this point in his life, Denton has enough filthy lucre in his bank account to affect a certain lack of interest in the stuff.

If they are treating black people differently, then how can that not affect the president?

We tried to become involved with committees that affect us and policing before Ferguson.

Her personal feelings about religion do not affect how she behaves legally, politically, or socially.

It did not in any way affect prices or wages, which were rendered neither greater nor less thereby.

He did not affect to conceal his anger; and yet, strange to say, it was not visible to Mr Bellamy.

All the parts are made of metal, so that no change in the weather can affect their relative positions.

As all parts of this apparatus are of metal changes in humidity or temperature do not affect its regulation.

At such a moment neither party would affect to forget the Bruce's royal pretensions.

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Affect Vs. Effect

What's the difference between affect and effect?

Affect is most commonly used as a verb meaning to act on or produce a change in someone or something. Effect is most commonly used as a noun meaning a result or consequence.

Remembering the difference between the words can be especially hard because these senses of the words have just about the same pronunciation. Complicating things further is the fact that affect can also be used as a noun (referring to a state of emotion, as in He had a sad affect) and effect can also be used as a verb (meaning to make happen, as in We can only effect change by taking action). However, these senses of the words are much less commonly used.

You can remember that affect is most commonly used as a verb because it begins with a, for action.

You can also remember how affect and effect are most commonly used by using the acronym RAVEN:

R = Remember
A = Affect is a
V = Verb
E = Effect is a
N = Noun

Here’s an example of affect and effect used correctly in the same sentence.

Example: It’s unclear what immediate effects the new law will have or how it will affect future generations.

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between affect and effect.

Quiz yourself on affect vs. effect!

Should affect or effect be used in the following sentence?

The campaign is hoping that the ads have a big _____ on voter turnout.

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