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
Both Indian and Pakistani users on social media shared fake satellite imagery to suggest their respective countries’ militaries had inflicted more damage than what otherwise transpired.
—
Brady Africk, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
And, fair or not, White evangelical Christians are viewed by many as the group that inflicts the most pain.
—John Blake, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
But Rolfe has to catch up with the losses inflicted during the pandemic, when the income dried up but the mortgage and taxes still had to be paid.
—John Carlisle, Freep.com, 26 Oct. 2025
Vipers and elapids strike more elegantly before their victims are even aware of their presence, while colubrid bites inflict the maximum amount of damage.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inflict
Brady Africk, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
And, fair or not, White evangelical Christians are viewed by many as the group that inflicts the most pain.
—John Blake, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
But Rolfe has to catch up with the losses inflicted during the pandemic, when the income dried up but the mortgage and taxes still had to be paid.
—John Carlisle, Freep.com, 26 Oct. 2025
Vipers and elapids strike more elegantly before their victims are even aware of their presence, while colubrid bites inflict the maximum amount of damage.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inflict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflict
Verb
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Judge Steven Denny imposed the 60-year sentence that same day.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
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He was forced to accept it, because it was imposed on him.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Conversely, poor initial AI experiences create resistance that’s difficult to overcome.—
François Candelon,
Fortune,
31 Oct. 2025
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Throughout the home, the couple incorporates a variety of pieces either sourced or created by hand themselves.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto shut the door, forcing a game-ending double play and earning his third win of the series.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
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Rojas, a light-hitting infielder, hit an unexpected home run in the ninth inning of Game Seven to tie it and force extra innings, when the Dodgers won it.—
Steve Futterman,
NPR,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Though Houlihan Lokey bought Triago 18 months ago, each side is already bringing the other big benefits.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
1 Nov. 2025
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Trump’s meeting with Xi ended in a trade agreement that called for the US to lower tariffs on China by 10%, bringing the effective rate on Chinese exports down to 47%; and for China to delay some export controls on rare earths and resume purchases of American soybeans.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inflict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflict. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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