Afflicted

Afflicted is an adjective meaning affected by a problem, illness, or misfortune; suffering as a result. It can describe people, communities, or conditions that experience hardship. The term also appears as the past participle of the verb afflict and can be used in phrases such as “the afflicted” to refer collectively to those who suffer.

Etymology and form: Afflicted derives from Latin afflictus, the past participle of afflicgere, meaning to strike down or weaken. The form passed into Old French as affliger and entered English in the Middle English period. The related noun is affliction; the verb is afflict.

Usage and nuance: In modern prose, afflicted often conveys a solemn or clinical tone. It frequently appears in medical, legal, or humanitarian contexts, for example, “afflicted with a disease” or “the afflicted.” In some cases, more neutral alternatives such as “affected by” or “suffering from” may be preferred to avoid stigmatizing connotations. “Afflicted” can be used as a noun phrase, as in “the afflicted,” to emphasize a group of people experiencing hardship.

In culture and literature: The word appears across religious, historical, and literary texts to depict suffering or misfortune. It is common in discussions of disease, poverty, war, or disaster, as well as in moral or pastoral language describing human vulnerability.

See also: affliction, to afflict, afflictedness (rare).