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 Blackcoat's Daughter (2015) Moody and intricate (sometimes maddeningly so), this debut from Oz Perkins (son of Psycho star Anthony) inflicts supernatural horror and grief upon the students of a Catholic boarding school.
—
Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
And, fair or not, White evangelical Christians are viewed by many as the group that inflicts the most pain.
—John Blake, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
Solitary confinement inflicts long-lasting psychological and neurological harm similar to post-traumatic stress disorder.
—Terry Kupers, Oc Register, 11 Oct. 2025
Trump gets his headlines, and inflicts a jolt of panic, and doesn't care whether this survives first contact with the courts.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
But using the criminal law to punish political opponents as retribution inflicts far greater damage.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2025
But Venugopal points out that the lab study couldn’t capture the onslaught of enzymes, teeth gritting, and temperature variation that a real human mouth inflicts.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2025
Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
And, fair or not, White evangelical Christians are viewed by many as the group that inflicts the most pain.
—John Blake, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
Solitary confinement inflicts long-lasting psychological and neurological harm similar to post-traumatic stress disorder.
—Terry Kupers, Oc Register, 11 Oct. 2025
Trump gets his headlines, and inflicts a jolt of panic, and doesn't care whether this survives first contact with the courts.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
But using the criminal law to punish political opponents as retribution inflicts far greater damage.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2025
But Venugopal points out that the lab study couldn’t capture the onslaught of enzymes, teeth gritting, and temperature variation that a real human mouth inflicts.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflicts
Verb
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Private jet and business aviation operations have been halted at 12 airports as of early Monday morning, as the Federal Aviation Administration imposes new limits amid the ongoing government shutdown.—
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
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Granted by Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard Oberholzer, the new injunction imposes strict rules on three properties, the Royal Roman Motel, the Royal Grand Inn and Marisco El Tapatio y Antojitos, all located within the same block of First Street east of Grand Avenue.—
Mona Darwish,
Oc Register,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The research team highlighted that this process creates ideal conditions for atmospheric water vapour to condense into droplets on the cooler surface, the way steam condenses on your bathroom mirror.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Nov. 2025
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Frank creates this Charles Atlas golden god specifically to adore and satisfy him.—
Katie Rife,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Paris Agreement hits its 10th anniversary and COP30 brings an important deadline for participating countries to update their emissions reduction plans which, so far have fallen short of the Paris targets.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Crisp bits of bacon add a salty crunch, while the green onion brings a fresh, mild bite.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inflicts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflicts. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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