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
Jurors also found true sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury on the victim.
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City News Service, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
He was sent to the Soledad prison in 2015, and was serving a 14-year sentence for false imprisonment and inflicting a physical injury on another person.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2025
Running back Bijan Robinson had a career performance as the Atlanta Falcons toppled Josh Allen and the Bills 24-14 on Monday Night Football, inflicting a second straight defeat on Buffalo.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Inevitably, the two men fight together, grappling on the ground and inflicting damage.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
The only way Torres can feel anything now is by inflicting some sort of pain upon himself.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2025
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
City News Service, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
He was sent to the Soledad prison in 2015, and was serving a 14-year sentence for false imprisonment and inflicting a physical injury on another person.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2025
Running back Bijan Robinson had a career performance as the Atlanta Falcons toppled Josh Allen and the Bills 24-14 on Monday Night Football, inflicting a second straight defeat on Buffalo.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Inevitably, the two men fight together, grappling on the ground and inflicting damage.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
The only way Torres can feel anything now is by inflicting some sort of pain upon himself.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflicting
Verb
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This, at a time when China is imposing tougher rules on exporting its own critical minerals abroad.—
Pilar Arias,
FOXNews.com,
22 Oct. 2025
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The Cleveland Browns are coming off an imposing win against the Miami Dolphins, despite Miami being one of the worst teams in the NFL.—
Jon Conahan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This is a huge driver for bringing down the cost of the space economy in general and has been the opportunity for creating many other new space companies.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
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These past two days have reinforced for me the importance of codifying principles and creating a road map to achieve them.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Raptors ran relentlessly, even as Atlanta turned the ball over just 16 times, a far cry from what the Raptors were forcing in the preseason.—
Eric Koreen,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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However, West Virginia’s defense has a knack for forcing turnovers.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Citing climate change concerns and the melting ice sheet, Greenland implemented a moratorium on oil and gas drilling in 2021—seemingly bringing all oil dreams to an end—but the government agreed that White Flame’s licenses were grandfathered and remained valid.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
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When Singh’s successor decided to make the fort taller, its shadow fell on the hermit’s home, consequently bringing destruction to the complex and surrounding towns.—
Sophie Friedman,
AFAR Media,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inflicting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflicting. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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