affect

1 of 3

verb (1)

af·fect ə-ˈfekt How to pronounce affect (audio)

affected; affecting; affects

transitive verb

: to produce an effect upon (someone or something):

: to act on and cause a change in (someone or something)

Rainfall affects plant growth.

areas to be affected by highway construction

The protein plays a central role in metabolism … which in turn affects the rate of aging.

Stephen S. Hall

The 1883 eruption of Krakatau in what is now Indonesia affected global sunsets for years …

Evelyn Browning Garriss

Before the 1980s it was not at all clear how nicotine affected the brain.

Cynthia Kuhn et al.

: to cause illness, symptoms, etc., in (someone or something)

a disease that affects millions of patients each year

… the syndrome can affect the pancreas, which produces insulin …

H. Lee Kagan

: to produce an emotional response in (someone)

an experience that affected him powerfully

… she traveled to Cuba and was deeply affected by what she saw.

Elsa Dixler

: to influence (someone or something)

trying not to let emotions affect their decision

affectability

ə-ˌfek-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce affect (audio)

noun

affectable

ə-ˈfek-tə-bəl How to pronounce affect (audio)

adjective

affect

2 of 3

verb (2)

af·fect ə-ˈfekt How to pronounce affect (audio)

affected; affecting; affects

transitive verb

: to put on a false appearance of (something) : to pretend to feel, have, or do (something) : feign

affect indifference

affect surprise

He affected a French accent.

… Fermi often affected an aversion to abstract mathematics.

Ed Barbeau

But he affected not to hear …

Edith Wharton

: to often or usually wear or have (something)

affect brightly colored clothing

Chang affected the beard and long robe of an ancient scholar …

Constance A. Bond

: to be given to (a preferred style of dress, speech, etc.)

affect a precise way of speaking

: to make a display of liking or using (something) : to ostentatiously cultivate or claim (a quality, attitude, etc.)

affect a worldly manner

It was the habit of the moment at Oxford to affect irreverence.

T. B. Costain

archaic : to have affection for : to feel love or tender attachment for (someone or something)

As for Queen Katharine, he rather respected than affected, rather honored than loved her.

Thomas Fuller

I affected Georgette; she was a sensitive and a loving child: to hold her in my lap, or carry her in my arms, was to me a treat.

Charlotte Bronte

archaic : to tend to have (a specified characteristic or quality)

… the drops of every fluid affect a round figure by the mutual attraction of their parts …

Sir Isaac Newton

archaic : to often or usually spend time at (a place) or with (a person or group) : frequent

… what birds affect that particular brake …

Thomas Hardy

Do not affect the society of your inferiors in rank, nor court that of the great.

William Hazlitt

archaic : to aspire to : to try to attain (something, such as power)

… this proud man affects imperial sway.

John Dryden

affect

3 of 3

noun

af·fect ˈa-ˌfekt How to pronounce affect (audio)

plural affects

[German Affekt, borrowed from Latin affectus] psychology

: a set of observable manifestations of an experienced emotion : the facial expressions, gestures, postures, vocal intonations, etc., that typically accompany an emotion

Evidence from several clinical groups indicates that reduced accuracy in decoding facial affect is associated with impaired social competence.

Suzane Vassallo et al.

… patients … showed perfectly normal reactions and affects …

Oliver Sacks

Other victims of schizophrenia sometimes lapse into flat affect, a zombielike state of apparent apathy.

David G. Myers

: the conscious emotion that occurs in reaction to a thought or experience

Positive affect encompasses all good emotions, such as joy, bliss, love, and contentment.

Roy F. Baumeister and Brad J. Bushman

Killing and meaningless mass murder without affect, as the psychologists say, … have become too frequent occurrences in contemporary life.

Barbara W. Tuchman

obsolete : feeling, affection

For every man with his affects is born, / Not by might mast'red, but by special grace.

William Shakespeare

Example Sentences

Verb (1) As strange as this sounds, the negative karma probably affected the actual games, the way a gambler who constantly dwells on his bad luck can derail an entire blackjack table.

Bill Simmons, ESPN, 24 June 2002 The Paris adventures of various Russians, including a romance for Dontsov, affect both the newly democratized ones and hard-line party members.

Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic, 27 Feb. 1995 These programs, known as secret warranties or silent recalls, often involve a problem that affects a vehicle's safety or performance but that isn't the cause of a formal Federal recall.

Consumer Reports, December 1993 Verb (2) She pauses and affects the more dramatic tone of a veteran actress.

Chris Mundy, Rolling Stone, 15 June 1995 She doesn't put herself down, but she does affect a languid Valley Girl drawl to offset the sharpness of her observations …

Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 1994 That is all I have, I said, affecting a pathos in my voice.

Flann O'Brian, At Swim-Two-Birds, 1939 Noun There's a good plot and good writing here, but Mallory's gender neutrality, conspicuous in her lack of affect, makes her seem like a comic-book character.

Cynthia Crossen, Wall Street Journal, 5 Oct. 1994 Many of these young killers display an absence of what psychiatrists call affect. They show no discernible emotional reaction to what they have done.

Richard Stengel, Time, 16 Sept. 1985 The way people respond to this is sometimes called "depressed affect"—a sort of mental shifting into neutral that psychologists say also happens to prisoners of war, submarine crews, and other people in confined situations with little stimulus.

Susan West, Science 84, January/February 1984 See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Page said her team is now studying how artificial sweeteners affect children's risk of metabolic conditions like diabetes.

Aria Bendix, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2022 While the arrival of a new iPhone and its features is a big deal, just as important is how will the new device affect how Apple prices all its older models.

Brett Molina, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2022 Coach Mike McCarthy declined to address how the addition of Peters will affect the the makeup of the offensive line.

Schuyler Dixon, ajc, 5 Sep. 2022 Helga and Zohar contain plastic models of radiation-sensitive organs, such as the uterus and the lungs, so that scientists can study how radiation in space may affect future astronauts.

Eleanor Lutz, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2022 Analysts’ views are mixed about how much a sale would affect the company’s outlook.

Jennifer Williams-alvarez, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2022 Employees with caregiving responsibilities, for instance, may worry about how a hybrid or full return to office will affect these duties.

Paige Mcglauflin, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2022 Its passage is part of a growing push nationwide to hold tech companies like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat accountable for how their services may affect children’s mental health and safety.

Cristiano Lima, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2022 What are the pros and cons of the subject, and how does that affect the market value?

Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English affecten, borrowed from Latin affectus, past participle of afficere "to produce an effect on, exert an influence on," from ad- ad- + facere "to do, make, bring about" — more at fact

Verb (2)

Middle English affecten "to desire," borrowed from Anglo-French affeter, affecter "to change, seek after," borrowed from Latin affectāre "to try to accomplish, strive after, pretend to have," frequentative derivative of afficere "to produce an effect on, exert an influence on" — more at affect entry 1

Noun

Middle English, "capacity for emotion, emotion, desire, will," borrowed from Latin affectus "mental state, mood, feeling, affection," from afficere "to produce an effect on, exert an influence on" + -tus, suffix of verbal action — more at affect entry 1

First Known Use

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 6

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

affect 1 of 2

verb

af·fect ə-ˈfekt How to pronounce affect (audio)

affected; affecting

: to pretend that a false behavior or feeling is natural or genuine

She affected surprise upon hearing the news.

affect

2 of 2

verb

affected; affecting

: to have an effect on

I hope this disagreement won't affect our friendship.

The oceans are affected by the moon.

: to cause strong emotions in

… the Tin Woodman … was strongly affected by this sad speech.

L. Frank Baum, The Marvelous Land of Oz

: to cause illness in

Rabies can affect dogs and cats.

Medical Definition

affect 1 of 2

noun

af·fect ˈaf-ˌekt How to pronounce affect (audio)

: the conscious subjective aspect of an emotion considered apart from bodily changes

also : a set of observable manifestations of a subjectively experienced emotion

… patients … showed perfectly normal reactions and affects …

Oliver Sacks

affect

2 of 2

transitive verb

af·fect ə-ˈfekt, a- How to pronounce affect (audio)

: to produce an effect upon

especially : to produce a material influence upon or alteration in

paralysis affected his limbs

affect 1 of 2

verb (1)

as in to influence

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

Relevance

influence
impact
impress
strike
touch
sway
interest
reach
inspire
involve
move
bother
disturb
get to
concern
attract
fascinate
penetrate
afflict
dazzle
perturb
tell (on)
worry
plague
carry away
bias
trouble
entrance
upset
transport
engage
ravish
stir
enchant
color
harass
enrapture
stress
distress
enthral
captivate
pierce
try
enthrall
discomfort
disquiet
pester
agitate
harry
smite
charm
bewitch
wring
discompose
allure
fluster
strain

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bore
weary
tire
pall
jade
underwhelm

as in to involve

to be the business or affair of fortunately, hurricane season doesn't affect the West Coast

Synonyms & Similar Words

involve
concern
touch
implicate
ensnare
apply (to)
embroil
bear (on)
relate (to)
pertain (to)
entangle
appertain (to)
refer (to)

affect

2 of 2

verb (2)

as in to simulate

to present a false appearance of she affected complete unawareness that we were talking about her, though she must have overheard

Synonyms & Similar Words

simulate
pretend
assume
act
make believe
feign
conceal
profess
pose
put on
sham
dissemble
forge
counterfeit
pass (for)
play
bluff
fake
imitate
dissimulate
let on
disguise
masquerade
impersonate
mask
camouflage
playact
feint
malinger

as in to haunt

to go to or spend time in often a power couple known to affect all the fancy parties in town

Synonyms & Similar Words

haunt
frequent
visit
habituate
invade
hang (at)
resort (to)
infest
patronize
drop by
drop in
attend
overrun
swarm
take in
stop (in or by)
call (on or upon)
run (in)
stop (over)
camp (out in)
tarry (in)
stay (at)
pop (in)
sojourn (at)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

avoid
evade
escape
shake
shun
elude
eschew
dodge
duck

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of affect are assume, counterfeit, feign, pretend, sham, and simulate. While all these words mean "to put on a false or deceptive appearance," affect implies making a false show of possessing, using, or feeling.

affected an interest in art

The meanings of assume and affect largely overlap; however, assume often implies a justifiable motive rather than an intent to deceive.

assumed an air of cheerfulness around the patients

While in some cases nearly identical to affect, counterfeit implies achieving the highest degree of verisimilitude of any of these words.

an actor counterfeiting drunkenness

Feign implies more artful invention than pretend, less specific mimicry than simulate.

feigned sickness

The words pretend and affect are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, pretend implies an overt and sustained false appearance.

pretended that nothing had happened

In some situations, the words sham and affect are roughly equivalent. However, sham implies an obvious falseness that fools only the gullible.

shammed a most unconvincing limp

The synonyms simulate and affect are sometimes interchangeable, but simulate suggests a close imitation of the appearance of something.

cosmetics that simulate a suntan

单词	affect
释义	affect 1 of 3 verb (1) af·fect ə-ˈfekt a- affected; affecting; affects transitive verb : to produce an effect upon (someone or something): a : to act on and cause a change in (someone or something) Rainfall affects plant growth. areas to be affected by highway construction The protein plays a central role in metabolism … which in turn affects the rate of aging. Stephen S. Hall The 1883 eruption of Krakatau in what is now Indonesia affected global sunsets for years … Evelyn Browning Garriss Before the 1980s it was not at all clear how nicotine affected the brain. Cynthia Kuhn et al. b : to cause illness, symptoms, etc., in (someone or something) a disease that affects millions of patients each year … the syndrome can affect the pancreas, which produces insulin … H. Lee Kagan c : to produce an emotional response in (someone) an experience that affected him powerfully … she traveled to Cuba and was deeply affected by what she saw. Elsa Dixler d : to influence (someone or something) trying not to let emotions affect their decision affectability ə-ˌfek-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē a- noun affectable ə-ˈfek-tə-bəl a- adjective affect 2 of 3 verb (2) af·fect ə-ˈfekt a- affected; affecting; affects transitive verb 1 : to put on a false appearance of (something) : to pretend to feel, have, or do (something) : feign affect indifference affect surprise He affected a French accent. … Fermi often affected an aversion to abstract mathematics. Ed Barbeau But he affected not to hear … Edith Wharton 2 a : to often or usually wear or have (something) affect brightly colored clothing Chang affected the beard and long robe of an ancient scholar … Constance A. Bond : to be given to (a preferred style of dress, speech, etc.) affect a precise way of speaking b : to make a display of liking or using (something) : to ostentatiously cultivate or claim (a quality, attitude, etc.) affect a worldly manner It was the habit of the moment at Oxford to affect irreverence. T. B. Costain 3 archaic : to have affection for : to feel love or tender attachment for (someone or something) As for Queen Katharine, he rather respected than affected, rather honored than loved her. Thomas Fuller I affected Georgette; she was a sensitive and a loving child: to hold her in my lap, or carry her in my arms, was to me a treat. Charlotte Bronte 4 archaic : to tend to have (a specified characteristic or quality) … the drops of every fluid affect a round figure by the mutual attraction of their parts … Sir Isaac Newton 5 archaic : to often or usually spend time at (a place) or with (a person or group) : frequent … what birds affect that particular brake … Thomas Hardy Do not affect the society of your inferiors in rank, nor court that of the great. William Hazlitt 6 archaic : to aspire to : to try to attain (something, such as power) … this proud man affects imperial sway. John Dryden affect 3 of 3 noun af·fect ˈa-ˌfekt plural affects 1 [German Affekt, borrowed from Latin affectus] psychology a : a set of observable manifestations of an experienced emotion : the facial expressions, gestures, postures, vocal intonations, etc., that typically accompany an emotion Evidence from several clinical groups indicates that reduced accuracy in decoding facial affect is associated with impaired social competence. Suzane Vassallo et al. … patients … showed perfectly normal reactions and affects … Oliver Sacks Other victims of schizophrenia sometimes lapse into flat affect, a zombielike state of apparent apathy. David G. Myers b : the conscious emotion that occurs in reaction to a thought or experience Positive affect encompasses all good emotions, such as joy, bliss, love, and contentment. Roy F. Baumeister and Brad J. Bushman Killing and meaningless mass murder without affect, as the psychologists say, … have become too frequent occurrences in contemporary life. Barbara W. Tuchman 2 obsolete : feeling, affection For every man with his affects is born, / Not by might mast'red, but by special grace. William Shakespeare Synonyms Verb (2) impact impress influence move reach strike sway tell (on) touch Noun act assume bluff counterfeit dissemble fake feign pass (for) pretend profess put on sham simulate See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Verb (1) As strange as this sounds, the negative karma probably affected the actual games, the way a gambler who constantly dwells on his bad luck can derail an entire blackjack table. Bill Simmons, ESPN, 24 June 2002 The Paris adventures of various Russians, including a romance for Dontsov, affect both the newly democratized ones and hard-line party members. Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic, 27 Feb. 1995 These programs, known as secret warranties or silent recalls, often involve a problem that affects a vehicle's safety or performance but that isn't the cause of a formal Federal recall. Consumer Reports, December 1993 Verb (2) She pauses and affects the more dramatic tone of a veteran actress. Chris Mundy, Rolling Stone, 15 June 1995 She doesn't put herself down, but she does affect a languid Valley Girl drawl to offset the sharpness of her observations … Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 1994 That is all I have, I said, affecting a pathos in my voice. Flann O'Brian, At Swim-Two-Birds, 1939 Noun There's a good plot and good writing here, but Mallory's gender neutrality, conspicuous in her lack of affect, makes her seem like a comic-book character. Cynthia Crossen, Wall Street Journal, 5 Oct. 1994 Many of these young killers display an absence of what psychiatrists call affect. They show no discernible emotional reaction to what they have done. Richard Stengel, Time, 16 Sept. 1985 The way people respond to this is sometimes called "depressed affect"—a sort of mental shifting into neutral that psychologists say also happens to prisoners of war, submarine crews, and other people in confined situations with little stimulus. Susan West, Science 84, January/February 1984 See More Recent Examples on the Web Verb Page said her team is now studying how artificial sweeteners affect children's risk of metabolic conditions like diabetes. Aria Bendix, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2022 While the arrival of a new iPhone and its features is a big deal, just as important is how will the new device affect how Apple prices all its older models. Brett Molina, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2022 Coach Mike McCarthy declined to address how the addition of Peters will affect the the makeup of the offensive line. Schuyler Dixon, ajc, 5 Sep. 2022 Helga and Zohar contain plastic models of radiation-sensitive organs, such as the uterus and the lungs, so that scientists can study how radiation in space may affect future astronauts. Eleanor Lutz, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2022 Analysts’ views are mixed about how much a sale would affect the company’s outlook. Jennifer Williams-alvarez, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2022 Employees with caregiving responsibilities, for instance, may worry about how a hybrid or full return to office will affect these duties. Paige Mcglauflin, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2022 Its passage is part of a growing push nationwide to hold tech companies like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat accountable for how their services may affect children’s mental health and safety. Cristiano Lima, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2022 What are the pros and cons of the subject, and how does that affect the market value? Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Verb (1) Middle English affecten, borrowed from Latin affectus, past participle of afficere "to produce an effect on, exert an influence on," from ad- ad- + facere "to do, make, bring about" — more at fact Verb (2) Middle English affecten "to desire," borrowed from Anglo-French affeter, affecter "to change, seek after," borrowed from Latin affectāre "to try to accomplish, strive after, pretend to have," frequentative derivative of afficere "to produce an effect on, exert an influence on" — more at affect entry 1 Noun Middle English, "capacity for emotion, emotion, desire, will," borrowed from Latin affectus "mental state, mood, feeling, affection," from afficere "to produce an effect on, exert an influence on" + -tus, suffix of verbal action — more at affect entry 1 First Known Use Verb (1) 15th century, in the meaning defined above Verb (2) 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 6 Noun 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2 Kids Definition affect 1 of 2 verb af·fect ə-ˈfekt affected; affecting : to pretend that a false behavior or feeling is natural or genuine She affected surprise upon hearing the news. affect 2 of 2 verb affected; affecting 1 : to have an effect on I hope this disagreement won't affect our friendship. The oceans are affected by the moon. 2 : to cause strong emotions in … the Tin Woodman … was strongly affected by this sad speech. L. Frank Baum, The Marvelous Land of Oz 3 : to cause illness in Rabies can affect dogs and cats. Medical Definition affect 1 of 2 noun af·fect ˈaf-ˌekt : the conscious subjective aspect of an emotion considered apart from bodily changes also : a set of observable manifestations of a subjectively experienced emotion … patients … showed perfectly normal reactions and affects … Oliver Sacks affect 2 of 2 transitive verb af·fect ə-ˈfekt, a- : to produce an effect upon especially : to produce a material influence upon or alteration in paralysis affected his limbs affect 1 of 2 verb (1) 1 as in to influence 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 Relevance influence impact impress strike touch sway interest reach inspire involve move bother disturb get to concern attract fascinate penetrate afflict dazzle perturb tell (on) worry plague carry away bias trouble entrance upset transport engage ravish stir enchant color harass enrapture stress distress enthral captivate pierce try enthrall discomfort disquiet pester agitate harry smite charm bewitch wring discompose allure fluster strain Antonyms & Near Antonyms bore weary tire pall jade underwhelm 2 as in to involve to be the business or affair of fortunately, hurricane season doesn't affect the West Coast Synonyms & Similar Words involve concern touch implicate ensnare apply (to) embroil bear (on) relate (to) pertain (to) entangle appertain (to) refer (to) affect 2 of 2 verb (2) 1 as in to simulate to present a false appearance of she affected complete unawareness that we were talking about her, though she must have overheard Synonyms & Similar Words simulate pretend assume act make believe feign conceal profess pose put on sham dissemble forge counterfeit pass (for) play bluff fake imitate dissimulate let on disguise masquerade impersonate mask camouflage playact feint malinger 2 as in to haunt to go to or spend time in often a power couple known to affect all the fancy parties in town Synonyms & Similar Words haunt frequent visit habituate invade hang (at) resort (to) infest patronize drop by drop in attend overrun swarm take in stop (in or by) call (on or upon) run (in) stop (over) camp (out in) tarry (in) stay (at) pop (in) sojourn (at) Antonyms & Near Antonyms avoid evade escape shake shun elude eschew dodge duck See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of affect are assume, counterfeit, feign, pretend, sham, and simulate. While all these words mean "to put on a false or deceptive appearance," affect implies making a false show of possessing, using, or feeling. affected an interest in art The meanings of assume and affect largely overlap; however, assume often implies a justifiable motive rather than an intent to deceive. assumed an air of cheerfulness around the patients While in some cases nearly identical to affect, counterfeit implies achieving the highest degree of verisimilitude of any of these words. an actor counterfeiting drunkenness Feign implies more artful invention than pretend, less specific mimicry than simulate. feigned sickness The words pretend and affect are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, pretend implies an overt and sustained false appearance. pretended that nothing had happened In some situations, the words sham and affect are roughly equivalent. However, sham implies an obvious falseness that fools only the gullible. shammed a most unconvincing limp The synonyms simulate and affect are sometimes interchangeable, but simulate suggests a close imitation of the appearance of something. cosmetics that simulate a suntan
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