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Affect vs. Infect — What's the Difference?

Affect vs. Infect — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Affect and Infect

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Affect

To have an influence on or effect a change in
Inflation affects the buying power of the dollar.

Infect

To invade and proliferate in, often resulting in disease. Used of microorganisms or other infectious agents
People who were infected with salmonella.

Affect

To act on the emotions of; touch or move.

Infect

To cause the invasion of (a cell, for example) with a microorganism or other infectious agent
The researchers infected the bacteria with a virus.

Affect

To attack or infect, as a disease
Rheumatic fever can affect the heart.
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Infect

To transmit a pathogen or disease to
The sick child infected the entire class.

Affect

To put on a false show of; simulate
Affected a British accent.

Infect

To contaminate with a pathogenic microorganism or agent
Cholera infected the water supply.

Affect

To have or show a liking for
Affects dramatic clothes.

Infect

(Computers) To become transmitted to and copied on (a hard drive, for example). Used of a virus or other harmful software.

Affect

(Archaic) To fancy; love.

Infect

To affect by transmission or be communicated to. Used of an idea, emotion, or attitude
"His fear infected me, and ... I followed as fast as I could" (W.H. Hudson).

Affect

To tend to by nature; tend to assume
A substance that affects crystalline form.

Infect

(transitive) To bring (the body or part of it) into contact with a substance that causes illness (a pathogen), so that the pathogen begins to act on the body; (of a pathogen) to come into contact with (a body or body part) and begin to act on it.
Not everyone will be infected when an epidemic strikes.

Affect

To imitate; copy
"Spenser, in affecting the ancients, writ no language" (Ben Jonson).

Infect

(transitive) To contaminate (an object or substance) with a pathogen.

Affect

Feeling or emotion, especially as manifested by facial expression or body language
"The soldiers seen on television had been carefully chosen for blandness of affect" (Norman Mailer).

Infect

(transitive) To make somebody enthusiastic about one's own passion, or to communicate a feeling to others, or a feeling communicating itself to others.
Her passion for dancing has infected me.

Affect

(Obsolete) A disposition, feeling, or tendency.

Infect

(obsolete) Infected.

Affect

(transitive) To influence or alter.
The experience affected me deeply.
The heat of the sunlight affected the speed of the chemical reaction.

Infect

Infected. Cf. Enfect.

Affect

(transitive) To move to emotion.
He was deeply affected by the tragic ending of the play.

Infect

To taint with morbid matter or any pestilential or noxious substance or effluvium by which disease is produced; as, to infect a lancet; to infect an apartment.

Affect

Of an illness or condition, to infect or harm (a part of the body).
Hepatitis affects the liver.

Infect

To affect with infectious disease; to communicate infection to; as, infected with the plague.
Them that were left alive being infected with this disease.

Affect

To dispose or incline.

Infect

To communicate to or affect with, as qualities or emotions, esp. bad qualities; to corrupt; to contaminate; to taint by the communication of anything noxious or pernicious.
Infected Ston's daughters with like heat.

Affect

To tend to by affinity or disposition.

Infect

To contaminate with illegality or to expose to penalty.

Affect

To assign; to appoint.

Infect

Communicate a disease to;
Your children have infected you with this head cold

Affect

To burden (property) with a fixed charge or payment, or other condition or restriction.

Infect

Contaminate with a disease or microorganism

Affect

(transitive) To make a show of; to put on a pretense of; to feign; to assume. To make a false display of.
To affect ignorance
To affect a British accent
He managed to affect a smile despite feeling quite miserable.

Infect

Contaminate with ideas or an ideology;
Society was infected by racism

Affect

To aim for, to try to obtain.

Infect

Affect in a contagious way;
His laughter infects everyone who is in the same room

Affect

To feel affection for (someone); to like, be fond of.

Affect

To show a fondness for (something); to choose.

Affect

(psychology) A subjective feeling experienced in response to a thought or other stimulus; mood, emotion, especially as demonstrated in external physical signs.

Affect

(obsolete) One's mood or inclination; mental state.

Affect

(obsolete) A desire, an appetite.

Affect

To act upon; to produce an effect or change upon.
As might affect the earth with cold heat.
The climate affected their health and spirits.

Affect

To influence or move, as the feelings or passions; to touch.
A consideration of the rationale of our passions seems to me very necessary for all who would affect them upon solid and pure principles.

Affect

To love; to regard with affection.
As for Queen Katharine, he rather respected than affected, rather honored than loved, her.

Affect

To show a fondness for; to like to use or practice; to choose; hence, to frequent habitually.
For he does neither affect company, nor is he fit for it, indeed.
Do not affect the society of your inferiors in rank, nor court that of the great.

Affect

To dispose or incline.
Men whom they thought best affected to religion and their country's liberty.

Affect

To aim at; to aspire; to covet.
This proud man affects imperial way.

Affect

To tend to by affinity or disposition.
The drops of every fluid affect a round figure.

Affect

To make a show of; to put on a pretense of; to feign; to assume; as, to affect ignorance.
Careless she is with artful care,Affecting to seem unaffected.
Thou dost affect my manners.

Affect

To assign; to appoint.
One of the domestics was affected to his special service.

Affect

Affection; inclination; passion; feeling; disposition.

Affect

The emotional complex associated with an idea or mental state. In hysteria, the affect is sometimes entirely dissociated, sometimes transferred to another than the original idea.

Affect

The conscious subjective aspect of feeling or emotion

Affect

Have an effect upon;
Will the new rules affect me?

Affect

Act physically on; have an effect upon

Affect

Connect closely and often incriminatingly;
This new ruling affects your business

Affect

Make believe with the intent to deceive;
He feigned that he was ill
He shammed a headache

Affect

Have an emotional or cognitive impact upon;
This child impressed me as unusually mature
This behavior struck me as odd

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