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
Waves of deadly air strikes by Russia’s Sukhoi and Tupolev jets, working in concert with Iranian and Shiite militias, shifted the momentum on the battlefield, inflicting fierce blows on the rebel forces.
—
Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
But Escobedo quickly acknowledged that there’s nothing to stop the thieves from coming back, and inflicting the same harm.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Salazarmontano also admitted sentencing enhancements for fleeing the scene of a vehicular manslaughter and inflicting great bodily injury on the victim.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 1 Feb. 2026
Jones said the charges include sentencing enhancements for using a deadly weapon, inflicting great bodily injury and committing an offense while on bail or released on his own recognizance in an unrelated felony case.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Most of them were in the South, where weekend blasts of freezing rain caused tree limbs and power lines to snap, inflicting crippling outages on northern Mississippi and parts of Tennessee.
—Russ Bynum, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Most of the outages were in the South, where weekend blasts of freezing rain caused tree limbs and power lines to snap, inflicting crippling outages on northern Mississippi and parts of Tennessee.
—Elissa Jorgensen, Dallas Morning News, 27 Jan. 2026
Most of them were in the South, where weekend blasts of freezing rain caused tree limbs and power lines to snap, inflicting crippling outages on northern Mississippi and parts of Tennessee.
—Charlotte Kramon, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
After pulling back, Ukrainian units conduct a series of drone, mortar, and artillery strikes against their former position, inflicting heavy casualties on the Russian forces now occupying it.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
But Escobedo quickly acknowledged that there’s nothing to stop the thieves from coming back, and inflicting the same harm.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Salazarmontano also admitted sentencing enhancements for fleeing the scene of a vehicular manslaughter and inflicting great bodily injury on the victim.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 1 Feb. 2026
Jones said the charges include sentencing enhancements for using a deadly weapon, inflicting great bodily injury and committing an offense while on bail or released on his own recognizance in an unrelated felony case.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Most of them were in the South, where weekend blasts of freezing rain caused tree limbs and power lines to snap, inflicting crippling outages on northern Mississippi and parts of Tennessee.
—Russ Bynum, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Most of the outages were in the South, where weekend blasts of freezing rain caused tree limbs and power lines to snap, inflicting crippling outages on northern Mississippi and parts of Tennessee.
—Elissa Jorgensen, Dallas Morning News, 27 Jan. 2026
Most of them were in the South, where weekend blasts of freezing rain caused tree limbs and power lines to snap, inflicting crippling outages on northern Mississippi and parts of Tennessee.
—Charlotte Kramon, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
After pulling back, Ukrainian units conduct a series of drone, mortar, and artillery strikes against their former position, inflicting heavy casualties on the Russian forces now occupying it.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflicting
Verb
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In a settlement with McCourt — and to avoid the risk of the judge imposing a deal less favorable to the league — MLB agreed the fair-market value of a Dodgers TV deal would be based on the very Fox deal that Selig had rejected.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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The fire and brimstone nature of both fixtures, played in potentially imposing and intimidating stadiums, carries the risk of heightening the level of a player’s tension, in turn hindering their concentration or ability to follow a plan.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The federal agency was tasked with creating and enforcing rules to protect consumers from abusive practices across a range of financial institutions.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
27 Jan. 2026
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Its acquisition of Calpine closed on January 7, 2026, creating a footprint encompassing 21 nuclear reactors and over 50 natural gas plants.—
Jon Markman,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Rodríguez is the closest of the Yankees’ top pitching prospects after starting last season at High-A, forcing his way to Double-A, and earning a brief promotion to Triple-A for his last start of the year.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
3 Feb. 2026
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Similarly, many public schools in Chicago, and across Illinois, are facing low enrollment and financial strain forcing families to look elsewhere for their education.—
Froylan Jimenez,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The king’s strategy has been swiftly pulling titles, distancing himself from Andrew while bringing his nieces further into the royal fold.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
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Most of the stars observed by Kepler were fainter than magnitude 13 in our sky, so HD 137010b's star is an outlier at magnitude 10, bringing it in range of even 6-inch (150mm) amateur telescopes.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inflicting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflicting. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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