affected
/əˈfektɪd/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈfektɪd/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈfek-təd a-/ (ame, mw)
affected — adjective
- affectedpositive
- more affectedcomparative
- most affectedsuperlative
1. Changed or influenced in some way by an event, situation, or external factor — o
Changed or influenced in some way by an event, situation, or external factor — often used to describe people, places, or systems that have experienced a negative impact.
The government sent aid to all families affected by the flood.
affected + by + [disaster] — typical collocation for negative external events
Oluwaseun could not sleep after the news; they were deeply affected by their friend's illness.
deeply affected + by — emotional reaction pattern
Teachers met to discuss the budget cuts and their most affected students.
The affected region reported power outages and road closures for three days.
Fatima's performance was not affected by the noise from the street outside.
- impacted
very similar in meaning; 'impacted' is slightly stronger and more common in news reporting about disasters or health
- influenced
more neutral; can be positive or negative, while 'affected' often implies a negative change
- touched
softer, often emotional; 'touched by the story' implies sympathy rather than material impact
- unaffected
unchanged or not influenced; the direct opposite
- immune
stronger — unable to be affected at all; often medical or figurative
文法句型
affected + by + noun phrase
the affected + noun
用法筆記
Common in news and formal writing when describing the scope of damage or change (the affected area, affected residents). The preposition by introduces the cause. Unlike sense 2 (PRETENTIOUS), this sense carries no negative judgement about the person's character.
常見錯誤
2. Not natural or sincere, especially when someone tries to seem more important or
Not natural or sincere, especially when someone tries to seem more important or cultured.
Sofia found the poet's affected accent hard to listen to all evening.
affected + accent — describes speech meant to impress
The reviewer criticised the actress for her affected gestures on stage.
affected + gestures — describes deliberate, unnatural body language
The host's affected way of greeting everyone with a hand kiss made Wei feel uncomfortable.
Diego dismissed the keynote speech at the industry conference as affected politeness from someone who did not care at all.
- pretentious
stronger emphasis on trying to seem more cultured or important than one is; implies a broader personality flaw
- artificial
broader in meaning; can also describe objects or situations, not only behaviour
- mannered
specifically of artistic or literary style being overly polished and unnatural
- put-on
informal; suggests a deliberate act or show that the person may drop when not in public
- natural
the direct opposite — acting without trying to impress or appear different
- genuine
emphasises sincerity and honesty in behaviour
- unaffected
the negative prefix form; describes someone whose manner is simple and sincere
文法句型
affected + noun (manners, accent, style, way of speaking)
用法筆記
Frequently appears before nouns that describe observable behaviour — accent, tone, manner, politeness, charm. This sense carries a clear negative judgement: the speaker is accusing someone of being fake.