Sometimes it is difficult to know which word to use. The words ‘afflict’ and ‘inflict’ are both used when talking about pain, and so are often confused. However, the prefixes ‘-af’ and ‘-in’ change the meaning entirely. To find out how, read on!
Afflict
The verb ‘afflict’ is generally used in the passive form. People can be ‘afflicted by’ any kind of pain or distress:
In the 1840s, tens of thousands of people across the United States were afflicted by tuberculosis.
It can also be used as an active verb, for example:
Tuberculosis still afflicts several thousand people a year in the US.
Affliction
As a noun, the term ‘affliction’ is pretty old-fashioned, and you are most likely to come across it in classic literature. However, people may still use it in a sarcastic sense:
We had to wait in line for hours before the store opened. The store manager came out to sympathize with us in our affliction.
Inflict
‘To inflict’ means to cause pain or distress to another living being. It is most often used with reference to violent crime:
The attacker inflicted several wounds upon his victim.
The verb ‘to inflict’ must always take an object. You cannot simply state that someone ‘was inflicted’. Usually something unpleasant is ‘inflicted on’ or ‘upon’ someone else.
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