affect

/ə-ˈfekt/

Middle English affecten, borrowed from Latin affectus, past participle of afficere "to produce an effect on, exert an influence on," from ad- ad-facere "to do, make, bring about"

verb

  1. to produce an effect upon (someone or something):

  2. to act on and cause a change in (someone or something)

  3. to cause illness, symptoms, etc., in (someone or something)

Rainfall affects plant growth.

affect influence touch impress strike sway mean to produce or have an effect upon. affect implies the action of a stimulus that can produce a response or reaction. influence implies a force that brings about a change (as in nature or behavior).

verb

  1. to put on a false appearance of (something) : to pretend to feel, have, or do (something) : feign

  2. to often or usually wear or have (something) : to be given to (a preferred style of dress, speech, etc.)

  3. to make a display of liking or using (something) : to ostentatiously cultivate or claim (a quality, attitude, etc.)

affect indifference

assume affect pretend simulate feign counterfeit sham mean to put on a false or deceptive appearance. assume often implies a justifiable motive rather than an intent to deceive. affect implies making a false show of possessing, using, or feeling.

noun

  1. a set of observable manifestations of an experienced emotion : the facial expressions, gestures, postures, vocal intonations, etc., that typically accompany an emotion

  2. the conscious emotion that occurs in reaction to a thought or experience

  3. feeling, affection

Evidence from several clinical groups indicates that reduced accuracy in decoding facial affect is associated with impaired social competence.