to impose as something that must be borne or suffered: to inflict punishment.
to impose (anything unwelcome): The regime inflicted burdensome taxes on the people.
to deal or deliver, as a blow.
Origin of inflict
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin inflīctus, past participle of inflīgere “to strike or dash against,” equivalent to in- “in” + flīg- (stem of flīgere “to beat down”) + -tus past participle suffix; see in-2
OTHER WORDS FROM inflict
in·flict·a·ble,adjectivein·flict·er,in·flic·tor,nounin·flic·tive,adjectivepre·in·flict,verb (used with object)
The GRU has been tied to more than a decade of advanced hacking campaigns, including several that have inflicted serious damage to national security.
Russian state hackers are targeting Biden and Trump campaigns, MSFT warns|Dan Goodin|September 11, 2020|Ars Technica
Wall Street has proven to be one of the biggest enemies of working people, but the Democratic Party’s 2020 platform mentions Wall Street only four times, with zero mention of the pain private equity firms like THL inflict on communities like mine.
Why the Democratic Party must make a clean break with Wall Street|matthewheimer|September 8, 2020|Fortune
Hong Kong activists say that Cellebrite’s tech is “used to inflict terrorism on the city’s residents and to attack demonstrators and pro-democracy activists.”
Israeli phone hacking company faces court fight over sales to Hong Kong|Patrick O'Neill|August 25, 2020|MIT Technology Review
They all stood a good chance to recover from their self-inflicted SEO hangover, even to improve their organic search performance significantly beyond what was deemed their SERP ceiling in the past.
SEO horror stories: Here’s what not to do|Kaspar Szymanski|August 24, 2020|Search Engine Land
It looks like she saw the harm such a policy was inflicting, and on her own, she fixed it.
OPINION: Looking at Kamala Harris’ record on trans and progressive issues — the facts matter|Rachael Rose Luckey|August 19, 2020|Washington Blade
The rise of ISIS has revealed the horrors that people are willing to inflict upon one another.
All Aboard the USS Persecution Complex|Candida Moss, Joel Baden|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Most of all, how could anyone film—or inflict upon viewers—such gratuitous, relentlessly grubby sexual content?
Why ‘Girls’ Is Bad for Women|Emma Woolf|March 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And with RT, these losers have a global platform through which they can inflict their psychoses on the rest of us.
Watch RT, Putin's TV Network, Call the Cops on Me|James Kirchick|March 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Veterans groups called it unconscionable to inflict cuts of any kind on a force that has endured repeated deployments.
The H.M.O. That Kills Terrorists|Eleanor Clift|February 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What possible punishment can the Dalai Lama, in this lifetime, inflict on the Chinese as they hasten the extinction of his people?
Tibet’s Ticking Time Bomb|Kapil Komireddi|January 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I would not kill them more than madmen; I would not inflict needless pain on them.
Speeches, Addresses, and Occasional Sermons, Volume 1 (of 3)|Theodore Parker
Then they will defend themselves, and can inflict a sharp blow with their tails, or a severe bite with their teeth.
Out on the Pampas|G. A. Henty
The crimes we every day punish are really below the penalties we inflict.
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. IV. (of 12)|Edmund Burke
I can only say that I shall be willing, cheerfully, to submit to any penalty the colonel may think fit to inflict.
The Curse of Carne's Hold|G. A. Henty
This took the surgeon aback; but he hastened to explain that he did not wish to inflict unnecessary pain, and hence his question.
The Ape, the Idiot & Other People|W. C. Morrow
British Dictionary definitions for inflict
inflict
/ (ɪnˈflɪkt) /
verb(tr)
(often foll by on or upon) to impose (something unwelcome, such as pain, oneself, etc)
What’s the Difference Between “Afflict” vs. “Inflict”?Are you afflicted with a muddled mind when thinking about about difference between afflict and inflict? We don't blame you, and we're here to clear the air.
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Words related to inflict
levy, expose, exact, wreak, extort, force, give, visit, require, deliver, administer, command, dispense, strike, apply, subject, deal out, give it to, lay down the law, mete out