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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…

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

Causing grief or sorrow; painful; afflictive; hard to bear; offensive; harmful. The famine was grievous in the land. Gen. xii. 10. The thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight. Gen. xxi 11.

Not easy to bear; burdensome; oppressive; hard to endure or accomplish; hence, grievous, afflictive; as, heavy yokes, expenses, undertakings, trials, news, etc. The hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod. 1 Sam. v. 6. The king himself hath a heavy reckoning to make. Shak. Sent hither to impart the heavy news. W…

To make less burdensome or afflictive; to alleviate; as, to lighten the cares of life or the burden of grief.

Producing great evil and grief; causing dejection; calamitous; afflictive; as, a melancholy event.

the state of being mitigated; abatement or diminution of anything painful, harsh, severe, afflictive, or calamitous; as, the mitigation of pain, grief, rigor, severity, punishment, or penalty.

Full of pain; causing uneasiness or distress, either physical or mental; afflictive; disquieting; distressing Addison.

That which smites, wounds, or troubles; a blow; a calamity; any afflictive evil or torment; a great trail or vexation. Shak. And men blasphemed God for the plague of hail. Wyclif. The different plague of each calamity. Shak.

Afflictive; calamitous; causing sorrow; as, a sad accident; a sad misfortune.

Sharp; afflictive; distressing; violent; extreme; as, severe pain, anguish, fortune; severe cold.

Severe; afflictive; distressing; as, a sore disease; sore evil or calamity. Shak.

Afflictive; painful. "Sour adversity." Shak.

Adapted to try, or put to severe trial; severe; afflictive; as, a trying occasion or position.

Causing vexation; agitating; afflictive; annoying; as, a vexatious controversy; a vexatious neighbor. "Continual vexatious wars." South.

Rigorous; severe; afflictive. [R.] "Attend our weightier judgment." Shak.