afligir

A formal, somewhat literary verb meaning to afflict or cause deep distress: la noticia la afligió profundamente. It shows up most often in its adjectival past participle, afligido/a (grieving, distressed), in obituaries, condolences, and news writing about tragedy. Everyday spoken Spanish reaches for afectar or entristecer instead.

• La muerte de su abuela la afligió mucho. — Her grandmother's death distressed her deeply.
• Nos aflige la situación de los refugiados. — The refugees' situation distresses us.
• Estaba visiblemente afligido en el funeral. — He was visibly grief-stricken at the funeral.

Using afligir in casual conversation, where it sounds stiff — entristecer (to sadden) or afectar (to affect) are what a Spanish speaker would actually reach for chatting with friends; afligir belongs in writing or formal speech.