Afflictedness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition of experiencing pain, suffering, or distress
2. The state of being troubled by physical or mental hardships
3. A situation in which someone is enduring discomfort or misfortune

Etymology: "Afflictedness" is a plain compound: the adjective "afflicted" with the suffix "-ness" attached, producing a noun for the condition of being afflicted. The suffix has a long ancestry of its own. It descends from a Proto-Germanic form, *-assuzh, and before that from forms reaching back to Proto-Indo-European, passing through Old English "-nes" and Middle English "-nesse" before settling into the modern "-ness" that English now uses to turn adjectives into nouns of state or quality. Because "-ness" is productive, English speakers can attach it to almost any adjective, which is how "afflicted" became "afflictedness" with no special coinage behind it. The result names a state rather than an event: the lasting condition of suffering, not a single painful moment.

Synonyms: suffering, distress

Antonyms: well-being