Definition

A person who pretends to have knowledge or to be someone they are not.

Example

The affecter pretended to be an expert in the field, but lacked real knowledge.

Conversation

Have you ever met someone who acts like an affecter?

Yeah, it's interesting how some people pretend to know everything.

Right? It makes it hard to trust what they say.

Exactly! I prefer genuine conversations over those with affecters.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Affecter → The word comes from Old French 'affecter', which means to influence or to have an effect on. It is derived from the Latin 'afficere', where 'ad-' (meaning to) and 'facere' (meaning to do or make) combine to convey the idea of doing something to someone or something, thus influencing or affecting it.

Memory Tip

Think of 'doing something to' ('ad-' and 'facere') to remember that 'affecter' means to influence or have an effect on something.

Visually Confused Words