noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/əˈflɪk.ʃən/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɪkʃən
CMU ARPABET:AH0 F L IH1 K SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A state of pain, suffering, distress or agony.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Something which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
a cause of great suffering and distress
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
a state of great suffering and distress due to adversity
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: adversity, hardship, hard knocks
Narrower terms: cross, crown of thorns
History
Etymology
From Middle English affliction, affliccioun, from Old French afliction, borrowed from Latin afflīctiōnem (“pain, suffering, torment”), from Latin afflīctō (“to damage, harass, torment”), from ad- + flīctus, past participle of afflīgō (“strike, beat”), from ad- + flīgō (“strike”) (whence af-). By surface analysis, afflict + -ion.
Across languages
Translations
61 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
վիշտ
(višt)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Bulgarian:
болка
(bolka)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Bulgarian:
измъчване
(izmǎčvane)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Bulgarian:
огорчение
(ogorčenie)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Chinese Cantonese:
痛苦
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Chinese Mandarin:
痛苦
(tòngkǔ)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Czech:
trápení
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Czech:
utrpení
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Czech:
soužení
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Dutch:
lijden
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Dutch:
pijn
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Esperanto:
aflikto
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Finnish:
kärsimys
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Finnish:
tuska
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
French:
affliction
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
French:
détresse
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Galician:
anoto
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
German:
Leiden
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
German:
Behinderung
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Gothic:
𐍃𐌻𐌰𐌷𐍃
(slahs)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Gothic:
𐌰𐌲𐌲𐍅𐌹𐌸𐌰
(aggwiþa)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Ancient Greek:
θλῖψις
(thlîpsis)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Irish:
angar
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Irish:
galar
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Irish:
doilíos
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Italian:
afflizione
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Ladino:
afrision
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Ladino:
afriisyon
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Macedonian:
болка
(bolka)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Macedonian:
мака
(maka)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Macedonian:
страдање
(stradanje)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Macedonian:
тешкотија
(teškotija)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Malay:
kepayahan
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Plautdietsch:
Älent
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Polish:
cierpienie
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Polish:
przypadłość
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Polish:
afekcja
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Portuguese:
aflição
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Russian:
страда́ние
(stradánije)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Russian:
печа́ль
(pečálʹ)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Russian:
огорче́ние
(ogorčénije)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Russian:
боль
(bolʹ)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Russian:
го́ре
(góre)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Russian:
муче́ние
(mučénije)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Serbo-Croatian:
patnja
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Serbo-Croatian:
trpljenje
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Spanish:
aflicción
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Spanish:
quebranto
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Turkish:
ızdırap
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Turkish:
dert
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Turkish:
keder
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Ottoman Turkish:
شدت
(şiddet)
— a state of pain, suffering, distress or agony
Czech:
strast
— something which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony
Czech:
potíž
— something which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony
Czech:
trápení
— something which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony
Czech:
neduh
— something which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony
Czech:
neštěstí
— something which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony
Dutch:
aandoening
— something which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony
Dutch:
kwelling
— something which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony
French:
affliction
— something which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony
Italian:
afflizione
— something which causes pain, suffering, distress or agony
