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
Adams was arrested Monday and charged with assault inflicting serious bodily injury, police said.
—
Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 24 Feb. 2026
The expropriations, along with the firings, consolidated state control of the oil sector and, experts say, drained the country of expertise and investment, inflicting lasting damage.
—Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
Heathcliff then returns, years later and bearing a mysterious windfall of newfound wealth, with the express goal of inflicting as much cruelty and pain as possible on the remaining members of the Earnshaw and Linton families.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
But Kaszas’ ultimate destiny had nothing to do with inflicting — or receiving — bruises, contusions or broken limbs.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
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
Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 24 Feb. 2026
The expropriations, along with the firings, consolidated state control of the oil sector and, experts say, drained the country of expertise and investment, inflicting lasting damage.
—Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
Heathcliff then returns, years later and bearing a mysterious windfall of newfound wealth, with the express goal of inflicting as much cruelty and pain as possible on the remaining members of the Earnshaw and Linton families.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
But Kaszas’ ultimate destiny had nothing to do with inflicting — or receiving — bruises, contusions or broken limbs.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflicting
Verb
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Trump responded to the Supreme Court ruling by imposing a 10%, then 15%, global tariff under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The president reacted quickly to the Supreme Court’s ruling against his International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs on Friday by imposing 10 percent universal baseline duties—a figure that was augmented to 15 percent over the weekend.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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MangoAI is a stealth-mode company, whose technology can be used for creating short videos for advertising.—
Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2026
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Interested consumers now have a range of options, though all are costly, not covered by insurance and carry risks like overdiagnosis or creating a false sense of security.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Surveillance footage showed three people dressed in dark clothing forcing him into a white SUV and speeding off, investigators said.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
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The city subway system was also running with delays, including massive backups at multiple stations in Brooklyn after C trains were taken off the tracks, forcing all A trains to run local.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Nick Buckler, captain of the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s special operations unit, credited members of the public with bringing the video to the attention of investigators.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
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And beyond the wall of the main dining room, the second dining area has been turned into a giant food pantry, with neighbors bringing everything from toilet paper to beans to ramen to help feed people who are afraid to leave their homes.—
Jess Fleming,
Twin Cities,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inflicting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflicting. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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