as in imposes
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 inflicts
The media usually get Black femicide wrong Another problem surrounding intimate partner homicide inflicts its harms after death.
—
Sativa Banks, The Conversation, 4 June 2026
Instead of providing convenience, services and consumption, the regime only inflicts repression, intrusion and censorship.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 16 May 2026
Boiling water acts as a contact herbicide that inflicts thermal shock on the weeds' plant cells.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 16 May 2026
These arrests also take officers off the streets for hours to process these arrests, which inflicts a financial toll on the CPD’s overtime budget.
—Silvana Tabares, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
There is also a growing body of credible evidence showing how EdTech inflicts emotional, cognitive, physical, and developmental harms on children, adolescents, and young adults, while displacing the human relationships that are essential to healthy human development and well-being.
—Dr. Timothy Scott, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2026
The focus here is squarely on her mother, another survivor who inflicts her own share of damage along the way.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Scott inflicts Ohm’s nonchalant meanness with a piercingly perverse matter-of-factness that places the character as far away as possible from the realm of likeability.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
On the one hand, the damage that Israel inflicts in the coming days and weeks will further weaken Hezbollah and increase the chances of successful disarmament.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
Sativa Banks, The Conversation, 4 June 2026
Instead of providing convenience, services and consumption, the regime only inflicts repression, intrusion and censorship.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 16 May 2026
Boiling water acts as a contact herbicide that inflicts thermal shock on the weeds' plant cells.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 16 May 2026
These arrests also take officers off the streets for hours to process these arrests, which inflicts a financial toll on the CPD’s overtime budget.
—Silvana Tabares, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
There is also a growing body of credible evidence showing how EdTech inflicts emotional, cognitive, physical, and developmental harms on children, adolescents, and young adults, while displacing the human relationships that are essential to healthy human development and well-being.
—Dr. Timothy Scott, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2026
The focus here is squarely on her mother, another survivor who inflicts her own share of damage along the way.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Scott inflicts Ohm’s nonchalant meanness with a piercingly perverse matter-of-factness that places the character as far away as possible from the realm of likeability.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
On the one hand, the damage that Israel inflicts in the coming days and weeks will further weaken Hezbollah and increase the chances of successful disarmament.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflicts
Verb
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Not work-life-balance-wise, but that’s sort of one of the ways that imposes itself.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
-
The charging-time penalty the new method imposes could be less than three seconds per session—a pretty tolerable penalty for a potential gain of two or three extra years of useful battery life.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
17 June 2026
Verb
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That creates a rare opportunity for tournament debutant Cape Verde, the second-smallest country to qualify for a World Cup.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
-
The watershed provides drinking water, forms a critical habitat for fish and other wildlife and creates recreational spaces for the community, the board wrote.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
Woodard brings Anna to life with a smokey voice, a statuesque presence and an arch demeanor.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
The imposing white hotel buildings are all above the road - accessed by vehicle via a ramp, which brings you to a carpark and the front entrance.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inflicts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflicts. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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