Afflicting
Afflicting adjective - Hard to accept or bear especially emotionally.
Usage example: the afflicting sight of so many earthquake victims was too much even for some hardened rescue workers
Painful and afflicting are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Painful" instead an adjective "Afflicting".
Painful
Painful adjective - Hard to accept or bear especially emotionally.
Usage example: it's been very painful to accept that my father is gone forever
Afflicting and painful are semantically related. You can use "Afflicting" instead an adjective "Painful".
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
- disturbing and afflicting
- disturbing and painful
- unpleasant and afflicting
- unpleasant and painful
- agonizing and afflicting
- agonizing and painful
- unbearable and afflicting
- unbearable and painful
- severe and afflicting
- severe and painful
- grievous and afflicting
- grievous and painful
- vexatious and afflicting
- vexatious and painful
Both words in one sentence
- The protagonist of NieR Gestalt is a man determined to go to any lengths to find a cure for the painful disease afflicting his daughter Yonah.
Source: Action Dad / Video Games
Cite this Source
Painful and Afflicting. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 01, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/afflicting/painful
Afflicting & Painful. N.p., 2016. Web. 01 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/afflicting/painful>.
Painful or Afflicting. 2016. Accessed August 01, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/afflicting/painful.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "afflicting" and "painful" have occurred on timeline