affected; affecting; affects
: 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
Stephen S. HallThe 1883 eruption of Krakatau in what is now Indonesia affected global sunsets for years …—Evelyn Browning Garriss
Evelyn Browning GarrissBefore the 1980s it was not at all clear how nicotine affected the brain.—Cynthia Kuhn et al.
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
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
Elsa Dixler
d
: to influence (someone or something)
trying not to let emotions affect their decision
affected; affecting; affects
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
Ed BarbeauBut he affected not to hear …—Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton2
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.)
Constance A. Bondaffect 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
T. B. Costain3
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
Thomas FullerI 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
Charlotte Bronte4
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
Sir Isaac Newton5
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
Thomas HardyDo not affect the society of your inferiors in rank, nor court that of the great.—William Hazlitt
William Hazlitt6
archaic
: to aspire to : to try to attain (something, such as power)
… this proud man affects imperial sway.—John Dryden
John Dryden
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.
Suzane Vassallo et al.… patients … showed perfectly normal reactions and affects …—Oliver Sacks
Oliver SacksOther victims of schizophrenia sometimes lapse into flat affect, a zombielike state of apparent apathy.—David G. Myers
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
Roy F. Baumeister and Brad J. BushmanKilling and meaningless mass murder without affect, as the psychologists say, … have become too frequent occurrences in contemporary life.—Barbara W. Tuchman
Barbara W. Tuchman
Effect vs. Affect: Usage Guide
Effect and affect are often confused because of their similar spelling and pronunciation. The verb affect entry 2 usually has to do with pretense.
she affected a cheery disposition despite feeling down
The more common verb affect entry 1 denotes having an effect or influence.
the weather affected everyone's mood
The verb effect goes beyond mere influence; it refers to actual achievement of a final result.
the new administration hopes to effect a peace settlement
The uncommon noun affect, which has a meaning relating to psychology, is also sometimes mistakenly used for the very common effect. In ordinary use, the noun you will want is effect.
waiting for the new law to take effect
the weather had an effect on everyone's mood
Synonyms
Examples of affect in a Sentence
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
their son claims that scary movies don't affect him in the least
fortunately, hurricane season doesn't affect the West Coast
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
she affected complete unawareness that we were talking about her, though she must have overheard
a power couple known to affect all the fancy parties in town
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
their son claims that scary movies don't affect him in the least
fortunately, hurricane season doesn't affect the West Coast
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
she affected complete unawareness that we were talking about her, though she must have overheard
a power couple known to affect all the fancy parties in town
Recent Examples on the Web
Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 7 Apr. 2023
Julia Orzol did a little of everything for the Badgers There aren’t many players on the team that affect the game in as many ways as Julia Orzol.
—Mark Stewart, Journal Sentinel, 6 Apr. 2023
Thousands of lawsuits filed against Johnson & Johnson claimed the talc powder had caused customers to develop either ovarian cancer or mesothelioma, which is an aggressive cancer that can affect the linings of the lungs, abdomen or heart.
—Brandon Livesay, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2023
Some lawsuits claim the powders contained asbestos and caused mesothelioma, a rare type of cancer that affects the lungs and other organs.
—Amanda Pérez Pintado, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2023
See all Example Sentences for affect 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
The Hobbs Act prohibits actual or attempted robbery that affects interstate commerce and that involves the taking of property from another person by means of actual or threatened force or violence.
—Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 7 Apr. 2023
Julia Orzol did a little of everything for the Badgers There aren’t many players on the team that affect the game in as many ways as Julia Orzol.
—Mark Stewart, Journal Sentinel, 6 Apr. 2023
Thousands of lawsuits filed against Johnson & Johnson claimed the talc powder had caused customers to develop either ovarian cancer or mesothelioma, which is an aggressive cancer that can affect the linings of the lungs, abdomen or heart.
—Brandon Livesay, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2023
Some lawsuits claim the powders contained asbestos and caused mesothelioma, a rare type of cancer that affects the lungs and other organs.
—Amanda Pérez Pintado, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2023
See all Example Sentences for affect
Video
How to Remember 'Affect' and 'Effect'
A simple way to keep them apart. (Most of the time.)
Dictionary Entries Near affect
Cite this Entry
“Affect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affect. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
affect
1 of 2 verb
af·fect
ə-ˈfekt 
a-
1
: to show a liking for : fancy
affect flashy clothes
2
: feign sense 1, pretend
affect indifference
affect
2 of 2 verb
: to produce an effect upon: as
a
: to produce a significant influence upon or change in
paralysis affected his limbs
b
: to act upon (as a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response
the criticism affected her deeply
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
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
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