affect Meaning & Definition
What Does Affect Mean?
Affect is used as a verb meaning to produce an effect upon (someone or something). It is also used to mean to act on and cause a change in (someone or something). As a noun, it means a set of observable manifestations of an experienced emotion.
Affect in Brief
| Part of speech | verb, noun |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ə-ˈfekt/ |
| Syllables | 2 |
| Synonyms | regard, strike and impact |
| Antonyms | bore, jade and pall |
Affect Definition (Verb)
- to produce an effect upon (someone or something)
- to act on and cause a change in (someone or something)
Ocean currents affect the weather. / areas to be affected by highway construction / The protein plays a central role in metabolism … which in turn affects the rate of aging. / The 1883 eruption of Krakatau in what is now Indonesia affected global sunsets for years … / Before the 1980s it was not at all clear how nicotine affected the brain.
- 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 …
- 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.
- to influence (someone or something)
trying not to let emotions affect their decision
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. / But he affected not to hear …
- to often or usually wear or have (something) : to be given to (a preferred style of dress, speech, etc.)
affect brightly colored clothing / Chang affected the beard and long robe of an ancient scholar … / 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.
- 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. / 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.
- 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 …
- to often or usually spend time at (a place) or with (a person or group) : frequent
… what birds affect that particular brake … / Do not affect the society of your inferiors in rank, nor court that of the great.
- to aspire to : to try to attain (something, such as power)
… this proud man affects imperial sway.
Affect as a Noun
- 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. / … patients … showed perfectly normal reactions and affects … / Other victims of schizophrenia sometimes lapse into flat affect, a zombielike state of apparent apathy.
- 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. / Killing and meaningless mass murder without affect, as the psychologists say, … have become too frequent occurrences in contemporary life.
- feeling, affection
For every man with his affects is born, / Not by might mast'red, but by special grace.
Synonyms of Affect
Antonyms of Affect
Affect in a Sentence
The experience affected me deeply.
He was deeply affected by the tragic ending of the play.
Hepatitis affects the liver.
He managed to affect a smile despite feeling quite miserable.
Ocean currents affect the weather.
areas to be affected by highway construction
The protein plays a central role in metabolism … which in turn affects the rate of aging.
The 1883 eruption of Krakatau in what is now Indonesia affected global sunsets for years …
Before the 1980s it was not at all clear how nicotine affected the brain.
a disease that affects millions of patients each year
… the syndrome can affect the pancreas, which produces insulin …
an experience that affected him powerfully
… she traveled to Cuba and was deeply affected by what she saw.
trying not to let emotions affect their decision
affect indifference
affect surprise
He affected a French accent.
… Fermi often affected an aversion to abstract mathematics.
But he affected not to hear …
affect brightly colored clothing
Chang affected the beard and long robe of an ancient scholar …
affect a precise way of speaking
affect a worldly manner
It was the habit of the moment at Oxford to affect irreverence.
As for Queen Katharine, he rather respected than affected, rather honored than loved her.
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.
… the drops of every fluid affect a round figure by the mutual attraction of their parts …
… what birds affect that particular brake …
Do not affect the society of your inferiors in rank, nor court that of the great.
… this proud man affects imperial sway.
Evidence from several clinical groups indicates that reduced accuracy in decoding facial affect is associated with impaired social competence.
… patients … showed perfectly normal reactions and affects …
Other victims of schizophrenia sometimes lapse into flat affect, a zombielike state of apparent apathy.
Positive affect encompasses all good emotions, such as joy, bliss, love, and contentment.
Killing and meaningless mass murder without affect, as the psychologists say, … have become too frequent occurrences in contemporary life.
For every man with his affects is born, / Not by might mast'red, but by special grace.
their son claims that scary movies don't affect him in the least
fortunately, hurricane season doesn't affect the West Coast
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
Ocean currents affect the weather. / areas to be affected by highway construction / The protein plays a central role in metabolism … which in turn affects the rate of aging. / The 1883 eruption of Krakatau in what is now Indonesia affected global sunsets for years … / Before the 1980s it was not at all clear how nicotine affected the brain.
a disease that affects millions of patients each year / … the syndrome can affect the pancreas, which produces insulin …
an experience that affected him powerfully / … she traveled to Cuba and was deeply affected by what she saw.
affect indifference / affect surprise / He affected a French accent. / … Fermi often affected an aversion to abstract mathematics. / But he affected not to hear …
affect brightly colored clothing / Chang affected the beard and long robe of an ancient scholar … / affect a precise way of speaking
affect a worldly manner / It was the habit of the moment at Oxford to affect irreverence.
As for Queen Katharine, he rather respected than affected, rather honored than loved her. / 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.
… what birds affect that particular brake … / Do not affect the society of your inferiors in rank, nor court that of the great.
Evidence from several clinical groups indicates that reduced accuracy in decoding facial affect is associated with impaired social competence. / … patients … showed perfectly normal reactions and affects … / Other victims of schizophrenia sometimes lapse into flat affect, a zombielike state of apparent apathy.
Positive affect encompasses all good emotions, such as joy, bliss, love, and contentment. / Killing and meaningless mass murder without affect, as the psychologists say, … have become too frequent occurrences in contemporary life.
Word Forms & Grammar
af·fect·ed
af·fect·ing
af·fects
af·fect·abil·i·ty noun
af·fect·able adjective
affect
affectabilities
affectability
affectable
affected
affecting
affects
Words That Rhyme With Affect
Origin of Affect
Origin 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" fact
Origin 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" affect:1
Origin 3: 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 affect:1
First Known Use
15th century
Pronouncing Affect
Affect is pronounced /ə-ˈfekt/ and has 2 syllables, with the main stress on the second syllable (fekt).
Frequently Asked Questions About Affect
Is affect a verb or a noun?
Affect is mainly used as a verb, but it can also be used as a noun.
What is another word for affect?
You can replace affect with words such as regard, strike and impact. See the full list of affect synonyms and antonyms.