7.13.2011

Word of the Day: Affliction

af·flic·tion

[uh-flik-shuhn]
–noun
1.
a state of pain, distress, or grief; misery: They sympathized with us in our affliction.
2.
a cause of mental or bodily pain, as sickness, loss, calamity,or persecution.

mishap, trouble, tribulation, calamity, catastrophe, disaster.Affliction, adversity, misfortune, trial refer to an event orcircumstance that is hard to bear. A misfortune is any adverse orunfavorable occurrence: He had the misfortune to break his leg.Affliction suggests not only a serious misfortune but the emotionaleffect of this: Blindness is an affliction. Adversity suggests acalamity or distress: Job remained patient despite all hisadversities. Trial emphasizes the testing of one's character inundergoing misfortunes, trouble, etc.: His son's conduct was agreat trial to him.