Affected

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /əˈfɛktɪd/

Definitions

1. Having been influenced or changed by an external factor or condition ; showing behavior that is insincere or deliberately exaggerated
2. Experiencing an impact that alters a state or condition ; displaying mannerisms that seem unnatural or fake
3. Being emotionally or physically touched in a way that causes change ; acting in a way that is knowingly artificial or contrived

Etymology: The adjective "affected" splits into two senses that grew from one Latin verb, "afficere", meaning "to act upon, influence". That verb was built from "ad-", "to", and "facere", "to make or do", so its root idea was doing something to someone or something. The Latin participle "affectus" carried that influence forward, and English took the sense of being acted upon, which is the source of "changed by an external factor". The insincere sense comes from a second, frequentative verb, "affectare", "to strive after, aim to do, pursue, imitate with dissimulation, feign". Through Anglo-Norman and Middle French it reached Middle English as "affecten", and the idea of striving after an effect slid toward putting on a show of something one does not truly feel. So a single Latin family produced both a word for being influenced and a word for pretence, which is why "affected" can describe a person who is moved by events or one who is putting on airs.

Synonyms: influenced, impacted

Antonyms: unaffected, uninfluenced