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
Advertisement Think smart regulation, not more regulation The dealmaking bonanza on Wall Street since Biden Administration officials left office offers a reasonable gauge of the damage inflicted when regulatory agencies are captured by ideology.
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Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
Even though Harry hadn’t suffered trauma at the hands of his father in this timeline, the world itself inflicted a different kind of damage.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
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.
—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
The Los Angeles coroner ruled that the two died from injuries inflicted by a knife.
—Steve Futterman, NPR, 7 Jan. 2026
There have been some truly glorious days, none more so than that triumph over Arsenal, when Brian Flynn’s side inflicted one of the biggest FA Cup upsets of all time.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
There’s nothing there that heals him and his family from the harm and trauma that was inflicted on this child.
—Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 2 Jan. 2026
This continuous decline has slashed savings, destroyed the Iranian middle class, and inflicted real suffering on the working classes.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 1 Jan. 2026
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
Even though Harry hadn’t suffered trauma at the hands of his father in this timeline, the world itself inflicted a different kind of damage.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
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.
—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
The Los Angeles coroner ruled that the two died from injuries inflicted by a knife.
—Steve Futterman, NPR, 7 Jan. 2026
There have been some truly glorious days, none more so than that triumph over Arsenal, when Brian Flynn’s side inflicted one of the biggest FA Cup upsets of all time.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
There’s nothing there that heals him and his family from the harm and trauma that was inflicted on this child.
—Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 2 Jan. 2026
This continuous decline has slashed savings, destroyed the Iranian middle class, and inflicted real suffering on the working classes.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 1 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflicted
Verb
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The judge also sentenced him to five years of supervised release and imposed a $500,000 fine against him — the maximum fine allowable.—
Sarah Jones,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
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Last year, China imposed several restrictions on the export of rare earth materials.—
Maydeen Merino,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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,
12 Jan. 2026
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An outrageous ambition, given that he was stuck in an outpost whose end had been decreed a few months earlier by the very men who had created and funded it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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With temperatures climbing above freezing and sunny skies melting half the structure, they were forced to start over entirely.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
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Twenty-two people — two civilians and 20 firefighters — were injured and thousands were forced to evacuate.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For Ramírez, as for many others involved in international extremist violence at the time, the middle years of the 1970s undoubtedly brought opportunities to further their cause and violent careers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Jan. 2026
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Age has brought thoughts of conservatism scurrying into the back of his mind.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inflicted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflicted. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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