The state or quality of being afflicted; the condition of suffering or being in distress.
From afflicted (past participle of afflict) plus the suffix -ness, which forms abstract nouns describing states or qualities. A formal term emphasizing the persistent nature of suffering.
The suffix -ness is one of English's most productive word-building tools—you can attach it to almost any adjective to create an abstract noun, letting us name every possible state of being.
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