aftereffect

Other forms: aftereffects

An aftereffect is something that happens as a result of an action. For example, an aftereffect of taking some kinds of allergy medication is feeling very sleepy.

While many aftereffects can essentially be side effects of taking some drug or medicine, there are many other types of aftereffects. An aftereffect of being rude to a customer at the restaurant where you work might be a very small tip, and the aftereffects of being robbed could include a fear of walking alone at night. The word combines the Old English root æfter, "after, next, or later," and the Latin effectus, "accomplishment or result."

Definitions of aftereffect

1. noun

   any result that follows its cause after an interval
   type of:

   consequence, effect, event, issue, outcome, result, upshot

   a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
2. noun

   a delayed effect of a drug or therapy
   type of:

   effect

   a symptom caused by an illness or a medication