affect
/ə'fekt/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb:
- To have an effect on; to influence: To produce a change in something or someone.
- To touch the emotions of; to move emotionally: To cause a feeling of sadness, sympathy, etc.
- To pretend to have or feel; to put on a false show of: To behave in a way that is not genuine.
- (Formal) To attack or infect, as a disease: To produce illness in a person or organism.
Noun:
- (Psychology) Emotion or desire, especially as influencing behavior or thought: The conscious subjective aspect of feeling.
Usage Examples
- Verb (to influence):
- The new tax law will affect all businesses.
- Lack of sleep can affect your ability to concentrate.
- Verb (to move emotionally):
- The tragic story deeply affected everyone who heard it.
- He was visibly affected by the news of his friend's passing.
- Verb (to pretend):
- She affected an air of sophistication she didn't feel.
- He affected a British accent to seem more cultured.
- Noun (psychology):
- The patient displayed a flat affect, showing little emotional response.
Advanced Usage
- "Affect" vs. "Effect": A common point of confusion. Remember: "Affect" is usually a verb (to influence), while "Effect" is usually a noun (a result). For example:
- "Affected" (adjective): Behaving or speaking in an artificial or pretentious way to impress others.
- His affected manner of speaking made him difficult to like.
Variants and Related Words
- Affecting (adjective): Moving the emotions; touching.
- It was an affecting scene of reunion at the airport.
- Affection (noun): A gentle feeling of fondness or liking. (Note: This is a distinct word, not a direct variant of the verb 'affect').
- Affective (adjective): Relating to moods, feelings, and attitudes.
- The disorder has both cognitive and affective symptoms.
Synonyms
- Influence (verb): To have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of.
- Impact (verb): To have a strong effect on someone or something.
- Feign (verb): To pretend to be affected by.
- Simulate (verb): To imitate the appearance or character of.
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
- Affect to: To pretend or make a show of. (This is a formal or literary construction).
- He affected to be uninterested in the gossip.
Related Idioms
- Put on an affect: To adopt a false manner or display. (This is a less common phrase, directly using the noun form).
- Her cheerful demeanor was just a put-on affect to hide her sadness.
Noun
- the conscious subjective aspect of feeling or emotion
Verb
- have an emotional or cognitive impact upon
- This child impressed me as unusually mature
- This behavior struck me as odd
- make believe with the intent to deceive
- He feigned that he was ill
- He shammed a headache
- connect closely and often incriminatingly
- This new ruling affects your business
- act physically on; have an effect upon
- the medicine affects my heart rate
- have an effect upon
- Will the new rules affect me?