inflict

American  

[in-flikt] / ɪnˈflɪkt /

verb (used with object)

1. to impose as something that must be borne or suffered.

   to inflict punishment.

2. to impose (anything unwelcome).

   The regime inflicted burdensome taxes on the people.

3. to deal or deliver, as a blow.

---

inflict British  

/ ɪnˈflɪkt /

verb

1. to impose (something unwelcome, such as pain, oneself, etc)

2. rare to cause to suffer; afflict (with)

3. to deal out (blows, lashes, etc)

---

Other Word Forms

• inflictable adjective
• inflicter noun
• infliction noun
• inflictive adjective
• inflictor noun
• preinflict verb (used with object)
• uninflicted adjective

Etymology

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; in- ²

Example Sentences

However, it is in the volatile, frothy and speculative stock market, dominated by retail traders, where the most damage has been inflicted.

From MarketWatch

Targeting priorities have shifted to inflicting lasting damage to industrial sites, as hopes of regime change fade.

From The Wall Street Journal

These policies have inflicted devastating consequences particularly in Africa, where large volumes of oil and gas in multiple fields were discovered in the 2010s.

From The Wall Street Journal

Two years after allegations surfaced about the helicopter crash images, a jury awarded widow Vanessa Bryant $31 million in damages after she sued the county for violating her right to privacy and inflicting emotional distress.

From Los Angeles Times

In the wake of double haymakers inflicted by the pandemic and the dual writers’ and actors’ strikes in 2023, the ground is fertile for the AI revolution to seed all kinds of second-rate content.

From Salon

Related Words

• exact
• expose
• levy
• wreak