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To strike or cast down; to overthrow. [Obs.] "Reassembling our afflicted powers." Milton.

The state of being afflicted; affliction. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

One who afflicts.

Grievously painful; distressing; afflictive; as, an afflicting event. -- Af*flict"ing*ly, adv.

; an instance of grievous distress; a pain or grief. To repay that money will be a biting affliction. Shak.

Free from affliction.

Giving pain; causing continued or repeated pain or grief; distressing. "Jove's afflictive hand." Pope. Spreads slow disease, and darts afflictive pain. Prior.

In an afflictive manner.

expected event; chance; contingency; often, an undesigned and unforeseen occurrence of an afflictive or unfortunate character; a casualty; a mishap; as, to die by an accident. Of moving accidents by flood and field. Shak. Thou cam'st not to thy place by accident: It is the very place God meant for thee. Trench.…

osition to; unfavorable; unpropitious; contrary to one's wishes; unfortunate; calamitous; afflictive; hurtful; as, adverse fates, adverse circumstances, things adverse. Happy were it for us all if we bore prosperity as well and wisely as we endure an adverse fortune. Southey. Adverse possession (Law), a possession of r…

To afflict with, or perish from, hunger. [Obs.] Spenser.

To give pain or sorrow to; to afflict; hence, to oppress or injure in one's rights; to bear heavily upon; -- now commonly used in the passive TO be aggrieved. Aggrieved by oppression and extortion. Macaulay.

To alleviate; to abate; to mitigate; as, to allay the severity of affliction or the bitterness of adversity. It would allay the burning quality of that fell poison. Shak.

Trial by danger or by affliction; adventure; risk; hardship; state of being tried. [Obs.] Through many hard assays which did betide. Spenser.

An institution for the protection or relief of some class of destitute, unfortunate, or afflicted persons; as, an asylum for the aged, for the blind, or for the insane; a lunatic asylum; an orphan asylum.

To try to move, by entreaty, by afflictions, or by temptations; to tempt. [Obs. or Archaic] It made the laughter of an afternoon That Vivien should attempt the blameless king. Thackeray.

up. (a) To be supported; to have fortitude; to be firm; not to sink; as, to bear up under afflictions. (b) (Naut.) To put the helm up (or to windward) and so put the ship before the wind; to bear away. Hamersly. -- To bear upon (Mil.), to be pointed or situated so as to affect; to be pointed directly against, or so as…

That bites; sharp; cutting; sarcastic; caustic. "A biting affliction." "A biting jest." Shak.

h affects like a blow, as the violence of winds or waves; a stroke; an adverse action; an affliction; a trial; adversity. Those planks of tough and hardy oak that used for yeas to brave the buffets of the Bay of Biscay. Burke. Fortune's buffets and rewards. Shak.

A succession of blows; continued violence, as of winds or waves; afflictions; adversity. He seems to have been a plant of slow growth, but . . . fitted to endure the buffeting on the rudest storm. Wirt.