意味一覧 (2件)
苦しめる
解説 Definition
人に苦痛や苦難を与えること。病気や災害などが人々を苦しめる状況に使われる動詞。
To afflict someone or something means to cause pain, suffering, or serious trouble. It is often used for illness, emotional suffering, or social problems that affect people for a long time. The word sounds more formal than simple verbs like "hurt" or "trouble."
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
afflict は、人や地域が病気・貧困・災害などの重い苦難に苦しむ場面で使う硬い動詞です。単に困らせるというより、外から長く深刻な負担がのしかかる感じがあります。the disease afflicts patients, drought afflicts a region, poverty afflicts a community のように、主語は病気・災害・社会問題になりやすいです。inflict「害を与える」と同じ -flict を含むので、痛みや被害のイメージで結び付けましょう。
Link afflict with inflict, because both words share -flict and both suggest something forceful or painful. Afflict focuses on the person or place suffering under a serious problem. It often appears with disease, poverty, drought, or other heavy troubles.
例文
Chronic poverty continues to afflict millions of people in developing nations.
慢性的な貧困は発展途上国の数百万人を苦しめ続けている。
The disease afflicts primarily elderly patients with weakened immune systems.
その病気は主に免疫系が弱った高齢患者を苦しめる。
Drought and famine have afflicted the region for three consecutive years.
干ばつと飢饉が3年連続でその地域を苦しめている。
悩ませる
(意味 2)解説 Definition
問題・不安・不調などが人や集団に長く影響し、困らせたり気を重くさせたりすることを表します。日常語の worry や bother より硬く、個人だけでなく会社・地域・制度が抱える慢性的な問題にも使われます。
To afflict someone or something is to cause a problem, worry, illness, or other difficulty that continues for some time and makes life hard. It is more formal than words like worry or bother, and it is often used for serious or lasting trouble. You can use it not only for people but also for groups, companies, areas, or systems that are suffering from a continuing problem.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
afflict は inflict と同じ -flict「打つ」に関わる仲間ですが、inflict は inflict damage on someone のように「害を与える行為」に焦点があります。afflict はその問題が人や組織にのしかかり、「悩ませ続ける」側を表すと覚えるとよいです。be afflicted by/with の形も多く、problem, disease, cost, anxiety など長引く負担と結びつきます。別エントリの「苦しめる」ほど重い被害だけでなく、継続的な困りごとにも使われます。
Afflict is related to the same -flict idea of "striking" that you see in inflict. But inflict focuses on the act of giving harm, as in inflict damage on someone, while afflict focuses on the person or group that has to live with the problem. It often appears in phrases like be afflicted by or be afflicted with, especially with words such as disease, anxiety, cost, or trouble.
例文
High medical costs continue to afflict many families.
高い医療費が多くの家庭を悩ませ続けている。
The region has long been afflicted by drought and rising food prices.
その地域は長い間、干ばつと食料価格の上昇に悩まされてきた。
Anxiety can afflict even successful people when the pressure never stops.
不安は、重圧が続くと成功している人でさえ悩ませることがある。
afflict の語源・成り立ち Etymology
afflict はラテン語 affligere にさかのぼり、ad-「〜へ」+ fligere/flict-「打ちつける」が骨格です。conflict や inflict と同根で、もともと「打ちのめす」感じが、心身を苦しめるという意味へ広がった語です。
Afflict goes back to Latin affligere, from ad-, "to," and a root meaning "to strike" or "dash against." It is related to conflict and inflict. The original sense was being struck down, which later widened into causing deep physical or mental suffering.
外部辞書で調べる
この単語を英単語クイズで覚えよう