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Affected GRE Vocabulary Flashcard

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Affected GRE Vocabulary Flashcard

/əˈfektɪd/ (adj)

Definition

artificial, unnatural, pretentious, phony, specious, crocodile tears, insincere, spurious, factitious, exaggerated, overstated

Example

You suspect that an acquaintance who is suddenly extra nice to you is insincere and affected, but you can’t be completely sure. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but it just feels like this person is hanging around you more than usual, dropping a few gratuitous hints.

According to a new study by Sara Langford at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona (2017), this is all part of the process of deciding who is an “insincere ingratiator,”. If you believe that a person is using you (i.e., is inauthentic), you should react negatively and expect others would also catch on to that person’s ploys.

The crux of the problem with ingratiation is that the person’s behavior is by definition both self-serving and insincere. Wanting something out of you, the person may do favors, put on a false front of friendship, or flatter you by making up phony compliments. All of this makes you feel uncomfortable, because there’s a slight possibility that the efforts are genuine. You want to help someone who is truly in need, but if it feels like you’re being manipulated, helping that person is the last thing you’ll want to do.

Antonyms

natural, sincere, ingenuous

Parts of speech

Adverb: affectedly

Noun: affectedness

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