as in imposed
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 inflicted
The presidential search secrecy law, one of the most damaging changes ever inflicted on Florida’s public records laws, was a Republican bill enacted on largely party-line votes in both houses.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 June 2026
Kyiv, Ukraine — Moscow unleashed a lethal barrage on Ukraine early Tuesday, hitting the capital Kyiv and the central city of Dnipro in a broad-ranging offensive that inflicted one of the deadliest attacks for months.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 2 June 2026
The torture was inflicted on baby and adult monkeys.
—Sofia Saric
may 24, Miami Herald, 24 May 2026
Ravel Morrison’s superb solo goal at White Hart Lane in 2013 is still remembered fondly, as is Michail Antonio’s winner in 2019, which inflicted Tottenham’s first defeat at their new stadium.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 24 May 2026
Nicholls opened Rockwater not long after Cyclone Pam, a terrifying storm that churned through Vanuatu and inflicted $600 million in damage.
—Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
And then there’s a lot of debate about how much damage has been inflicted on the Iranians in turn.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026
When Hitler turned his eyes to the east and invaded the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa, German forces inflicted a series of stunning losses against the Soviets, thereby demonstrating the supremacy of their Panzer III and Panzer IV designs.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 20 May 2026
Further declines in home prices would deepen the hit to household balance sheets, said Lizzi Lee, a fellow at Center for China Analysis, noting that the property downturn has already inflicted significant job losses across construction and related sectors.
—Anniek Bao,evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 18 May 2026
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 June 2026
Kyiv, Ukraine — Moscow unleashed a lethal barrage on Ukraine early Tuesday, hitting the capital Kyiv and the central city of Dnipro in a broad-ranging offensive that inflicted one of the deadliest attacks for months.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 2 June 2026
The torture was inflicted on baby and adult monkeys.
—Sofia Saric
may 24, Miami Herald, 24 May 2026
Ravel Morrison’s superb solo goal at White Hart Lane in 2013 is still remembered fondly, as is Michail Antonio’s winner in 2019, which inflicted Tottenham’s first defeat at their new stadium.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 24 May 2026
Nicholls opened Rockwater not long after Cyclone Pam, a terrifying storm that churned through Vanuatu and inflicted $600 million in damage.
—Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
And then there’s a lot of debate about how much damage has been inflicted on the Iranians in turn.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026
When Hitler turned his eyes to the east and invaded the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa, German forces inflicted a series of stunning losses against the Soviets, thereby demonstrating the supremacy of their Panzer III and Panzer IV designs.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 20 May 2026
Further declines in home prices would deepen the hit to household balance sheets, said Lizzi Lee, a fellow at Center for China Analysis, noting that the property downturn has already inflicted significant job losses across construction and related sectors.
—Anniek Bao,evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 18 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflicted
Verb
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Trump has effectively imposed a fuel blockade on the island by threatening tariffs on countries supplying it with fuel, igniting seemingly endless power outages and delivering new blows to the island's already ailing economy.—
Phil Stewart,
USA Today,
30 May 2026
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Makary drew criticism last year after the agency imposed stricter requirements on who could get Covid shots.—
Ed Silverman,
STAT,
29 May 2026
Verb
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To some extent, supply created its own demand.—
Allison Schrager,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
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The creation of this content included the use of AI based on templates created, reviewed and edited by journalists in the newsroom.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Today, however, the opposite is true, and they are deliberately displayed as current fashion trends have brought to the surface what was once forced to be hidden.—
Teresa Romero Martínez,
Glamour,
31 May 2026
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Fueled by large stocks of critically dry vegetation and extreme winds, the fires killed 31 people, destroyed nearly 12,000 homes, and forced over 150,000 evacuations.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
Verb
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The city of Aurora agreed to pay $15 million in November 2021 to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by McClain's parents.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
5 June 2026
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Lama Kazi Sherpa, of the SPCC, told Reuters that his team located Hillary Dawa above Base Camp near the icefall and brought him down to safety.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inflicted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflicted. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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