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
Attorneys filed charges of driving under the influence causing injury with enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury in the crash.
—
Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Jurors also found true sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury on the victim.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 21 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
Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Jurors also found true sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury on the victim.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 21 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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Last month, Duffy warned European governments against imposing unilateral restrictions on transatlantic travel, saying Washington is prepared to enforce international agreements — a stance underscored by recent action taken against Mexico over similar concerns.—
David Shepardson,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
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In a move that met with widespread criticism, last year Spotify reduced its royalty payments to musicians and songwriters by hundreds of millions of dollars per year by automatically imposing a bundling plan with its audiobooks division that few music fans would seem likely to want.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Whitehead did this in part by creating his works abroad, in Australia, and France, and elsewhere, in broadcast environments that were more hospitable towards the experimental.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
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Dongre works with a network of artisans across India, from embroiderers to block printers, creating designs that blend femininity with comfort and practicality.—
Ryma Chikhoune,
Footwear News,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Rather than forcing lopsided trade deals on allies and friends, Washington would do better to organize a common message to Chinese leaders that a business model that fuels deflation at home and anger abroad is untenable.—
Christopher Smart,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
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In the fourth quarter, Butler continued to dice up Los Angeles, his off-the-dribble bounce pass assist to Draymond Green pushing the lead to 20 with six minutes left and forcing a timeout.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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What To Know Most of the deaths were reported in the central province of Cebu, which Kalmaegi hit on Tuesday after roaring in from the Pacific, bringing torrential rains, powerful winds and extensive flooding, the Associated Press (AP) reported.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Naturally, Meredith completely denies this and says that Britani is only bringing this up because her own relationship is such a disaster.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inflicting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflicting. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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