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 virus inflicts acute gastroenteritis — inflammation of the stomach or intestines — on people of all ages in the United States, the CDC said.
—
Hannah Poukish, Sacbee.com, 15 Dec. 2025
The costume designer adds that those subtle perforations become deeper cuts only when Will begins to doubt his own abilities as a father, and inflicts damage of his own.
—Elaina Patton, Vogue, 27 Nov. 2025
In the coming centuries, what the world inflicts on Greenland will be reflected back on it; the melting of the Greenlandic ice sheet will inundate coastal areas from Dhaka to Mar-a-Lago.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
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 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
Hannah Poukish, Sacbee.com, 15 Dec. 2025
The costume designer adds that those subtle perforations become deeper cuts only when Will begins to doubt his own abilities as a father, and inflicts damage of his own.
—Elaina Patton, Vogue, 27 Nov. 2025
In the coming centuries, what the world inflicts on Greenland will be reflected back on it; the melting of the Greenlandic ice sheet will inundate coastal areas from Dhaka to Mar-a-Lago.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
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 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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Almost every state imposes sales tax, except for Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon, which instead allows cities to charge a local sales tax.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
6 Jan. 2026
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The levy increases rates on hotel room and vacation rental stays but also imposes a new 11% tax on the gross fares paid by a cruise ship's passenger, prorated for the number of days the vessels are in Hawaii ports.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 Jan. 2026
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 9 Jan. 2026.
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