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affect
1[ verb uh-fekt; noun af-ekt ]
verb (used with object)
- to act on; produce an effect or change in:
Cold weather affected the crops.
Synonyms: , , ,
- to impress the mind or move the feelings of:
The music affected him deeply.
Synonyms: ,
- (of pain, disease, etc.) to attack or lay hold of.
noun
- Psychology. feeling or emotion.
- Psychiatry. an expressed or observed emotional response:
Restricted, flat, or blunted affect may be a symptom of mental illness, especially schizophrenia.
- Obsolete. affection; passion; sensation; inclination; inward disposition or feeling.
affect
2[ uh-fekt ]
verb (used with object)
- to give the appearance of; pretend or feign:
to affect knowledge of the situation.
- to assume artificially, pretentiously, or for effect:
to affect a Southern accent.
- to use, wear, or adopt by preference; choose; prefer:
the peculiar costume he affected.
- to assume the character or attitude of:
to affect the freethinker.
- (of things) to tend toward habitually or naturally:
a substance that affects colloidal form.
- (of animals and plants) to occupy or inhabit; live in or on:
Lions affect Africa. Moss affects the northern slopes.
- Archaic.
- to have affection for; fancy.
- to aim at; aspire to.
verb (used without object)
- Obsolete. to incline, tend, or favor (usually followed by to ):
He affects to the old ways.
affect
1verb
- to act upon or influence, esp in an adverse way
damp affected the sparking plugs
- to move or disturb emotionally or mentally
her death affected him greatly
- (of pain, disease, etc) to attack
noun
- psychol the emotion associated with an idea or set of ideas See also affection
affect
2/ əˈɛ /
verb
- to put on an appearance or show of; make a pretence of
to affect ignorance
- to imitate or assume, esp pretentiously
to affect an accent
- to have or use by preference
she always affects funereal clothing
- to adopt the character, manner, etc, of
he was always affecting the politician
- (of plants or animals) to live or grow in
penguins affect an arctic climate
- to incline naturally or habitually towards
falling drops of liquid affect roundness
Confusables Note
Other Word Forms
- ·ڱa· adjective
- ·ڱa·i·ٲ noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of affect1
Word History and Origins
Origin of affect1
Origin of affect2
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Previously, the firm was dealing with problems which affected people using Click & Collect, as well as paying with gift cards.
So far, the Supreme Court has issued limited rulings affecting the White House.
We wouldn’t be back in the pre-vaccine days, when measles affected more than 4 million people annually and regularly claimed the lives of at least 400 U.S. children per year.
"It affected your mental state so greatly that it impacted your ability to understand what you were doing," said Judge Thomas.
That has been affected by US tariffs policy and warmer-than-expected weather in Europe.
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Affect Vs. Effect
's the difference between affect Իeffect?
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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