as in imposing
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 inflicting
That shows me that something inside of her stopped her from inflicting harm another human being.
—
Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2025
Multiple Democrats say Vought and the president were determined to use the shutdown as a pretense for inflicting further pain on political opponents.
—Franco Ordoñez, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025
These acts include killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, and deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to destroy a population.
—Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
The charges include sentencing enhancements for the use of a deadly weapon and inflicting great bodily injury.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
This can be way more satisfying than inflicting your own tastes on them.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 19 Sep. 2025
But that's not what AI boosters keep talking about, and AI hype is inflicting real-world consequences.
—Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 14 Sep. 2025
Their shared belief in the importance of cinema breaks through the screen, contagiously inflicting those watching, striking a hopeful tone to cherish and admire that also prevents the film from appearing earnest and naive.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
For now, there’s much more acute pain Julia and Henry are inflicting upon us.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2025
Multiple Democrats say Vought and the president were determined to use the shutdown as a pretense for inflicting further pain on political opponents.
—Franco Ordoñez, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025
These acts include killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, and deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to destroy a population.
—Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
The charges include sentencing enhancements for the use of a deadly weapon and inflicting great bodily injury.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
This can be way more satisfying than inflicting your own tastes on them.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 19 Sep. 2025
But that's not what AI boosters keep talking about, and AI hype is inflicting real-world consequences.
—Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 14 Sep. 2025
Their shared belief in the importance of cinema breaks through the screen, contagiously inflicting those watching, striking a hopeful tone to cherish and admire that also prevents the film from appearing earnest and naive.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
For now, there’s much more acute pain Julia and Henry are inflicting upon us.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflicting
Verb
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Meanwhile, for years, state legislatures have been passing laws that seek to reshape academic labor on the front end, by gutting funding for hires and imposing new criteria for appointment and retention.—
Time,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
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In joint second place is City’s imposing 15 victories and one defeat in 16 Premier League matches against Bournemouth.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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From checking the latest from a favorite K-pop star to creating a soundtrack for a weekend road trip, ChatGPT handles the context and delivers relevant recommendations.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Oct. 2025
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In susceptible people, the immune system reacts too strongly to minor exposures, creating chronic inflammation.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The outbreak was forcing a shortage of eggs as well, leading some grocers to restrict how many dozens of eggs consumers could buy per visit.—
Olivia Evans,
Louisville Courier Journal,
1 Oct. 2025
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Meanwhile, American companies are beginning to pay attention to these Chinese AI giants, forcing them to grapple more publicly with copyright protections.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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My record includes bringing major sports franchises like the Heat, Marlins and Panthers; building police substations; crafting the SMART Plan; winning single-member district reforms; and funding after-school programs with private dollars.—
Miami Herald Staff,
Miami Herald,
8 Oct. 2025
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Demanding responsibilities in assisting his mom with bills, helping care for his sisters, bringing order to the house.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inflicting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflicting. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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