Meaning & use

affected

adjective·Academic

Behaving in an artificial or exaggerated way intended to impress others.

See it in a sentence

His affected British accent fooled no one who had known him growing up.

The actor's affected laugh made the scene feel insincere.

A note on using this word

This sense of an artificial manner differs from the past-participle sense of affect, meaning influenced or changed by something.

Words with a similar meaning

pretentiousartificialput-on

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

genuinenatural

Another way to use it

2. adjective

Influenced or changed by something, often negatively.

Several coastal towns were badly affected by the flooding.

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