inflict
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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to deal or deliver, as a blow.
verb
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to impose (something unwelcome, such as pain, oneself, etc)
-
rare to cause to suffer; afflict (with)
-
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Monday its report into the mishap concluded it had "inflicted heavy damage on the OBR's reputation".
From BBC
World champions South Africa humiliated woeful Wales by inflicting a record home defeat on their hosts.
From BBC
Speaking at a conference on Monday, head of the Confederation of British Industry Rain Newton-Smith urged Reeves not to inflict "death by a thousand taxes" on businesses.
From BBC
The audience has been steadily aging as well, feeling every ache that the decade between the show’s first season and the present has inflicted.
From Salon
The Fed’s dovish turn and tighter liquidity have destabilized equity markets of late and inflicted real damage on returns.
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
