as in to impose
to cause someone to accept or experience something unwanted
The criminal inflicted a lifetime of distress on his unsuspecting victims.
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Recent Examples of inflict
Coon’s Agnes is a broken woman desperately looking for companionship following the devastating loss of her son and the physical and emotional violence inflicted on her by her ex-husband.
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Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 9 Jan. 2026
The scheme affected more than 10,000 people across the country and inflicted more than $25 million in victim losses, the statement said.
—Brian Womack, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026
On Thursday, Minnesota was an ominous indicator of the damage those divisions can inflict.
—Nicholas Riccardi, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
As flawed generative AI tools continue to be used carelessly, without the necessary follow-up work of checking for hallucinations, experts warn that agencies like NWS could inflict serious damage to their reputation and authority.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inflict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflict
Verb
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But encountering the layers of censorship and self-censorship that impose themselves on an Arabic text in English astonished me yet again.—
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No matter the lens, the novel seems to resist it, always protruding beyond the boundaries imposed upon it.—
Verb
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The Horned Frogs are far from an offensive juggernaut, but TCU has typically been able to create open looks off the pick-and-roll with Harding or by feeding Punch in the post.—
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Teachers' associations from Natomas, Rocklin, Twin Rivers, West Sacramento and Woodland used art supplies on Saturday to create signs of solidarity.—
Verb
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With temperatures climbing above freezing and sunny skies melting half the structure, they were forced to start over entirely.—
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Twenty-two people — two civilians and 20 firefighters — were injured and thousands were forced to evacuate.—
Verb
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Made from durable and shock-absorbing materials, this sturdy and compact charger can power up to six devices at the same time, bringing an iPhone 15 back to 65 percent power in just 30 minutes.—
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Hogan said bringing his children to the protest was a way to teach them civic engagement outside the classroom.—
Cite this Entry
“Inflict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflict. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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