Affect Meaning and Definition

Affect

Affect

Pronunciation

/ˈæfɛkt/

Part of Speech

Noun or Verb

Definition

Affect refers to a feeling or emotion that influences a person’s behavior or mood, or to the influence or effect of something on someone or something else.

Examples

  • His mood was affected by the news.
  • The cold weather will affect the crops.

Synonyms

  • Emotion
  • Influence
  • Effect

Antonyms

  • Unemotional
  • Neutral

Etymology

The word “affect” comes from the Latin word “affectare”, which means “to direct towards something” or “to influence”.

Usage Notes

Affect is often used in many different contexts, such as to describe a person’s emotions or to talk about the results of an action.

Cultural References

Affect can be seen in popular culture, such as in literature and film, where it is used to describe a character’s emotional state or the impact of an event on a person or group of people.

Idiomatic Expressions or Phrases

  • “Affect and affectation” – to pretend to have a certain quality or emotion
  • “Affect someone deeply” – to have a strong emotional impact on someone

Related Words or Phrases

  • Effect
  • Influence
  • Emotion
  • Feeling

Collocations

  • Affect someone’s mood
  • Affect the way someone thinks
  • Affect the outcome of an event

Frequency of Use

Affect is a commonly used word in modern language, especially in informal contexts such as social media and conversation.

Common Misspellings

  • Effect
  • Afected

Related Words