1
Emotionally moving
Arouse sympathy, tenderness, or sorrow.
Example
The final letter is the memoir’s most affecting passage.
affecting
/əˈfɛktɪŋ/ · uh-FEK-tingadjective
Producing a strong emotional response; moving.
Use affecting when the context supports this precise meaning: producing a strong emotional response; moving.
What affecting Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Powerful performance
Convey emotion with sincerity and force.
Example
Her affecting performance avoided sentimentality.
3
Poignant detail
Gain emotional force through a small observation.
Example
The empty lunchbox is an affecting reminder of the evacuation.
Use affecting Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The final letter is the memoir’s most affecting passage.
Her affecting performance avoided sentimentality.
The empty lunchbox is an affecting reminder of the evacuation.
Precision Matters
Affecting overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
affecting
vs.Means producing a strong emotional response; moving.
eloquent
Means fluent, expressive, and persuasive in speech, writing, or action.
affecting
vs.Means producing a strong emotional response; moving.
palpable
Means so noticeable that it seems capable of being felt.
affecting
vs.Means producing a strong emotional response; moving.
sentimental
Means characterised by excessive or self-indulgent emotion.
affecting
vs.Means producing a strong emotional response; moving.
indifferent
Means without interest, concern, or preference; unaffected.
Test affecting in Context
The testimony produces a strong emotional response.
1
The documentary is most ___ when survivors describe ordinary objects they carried from home.