as in imposing
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 inflicting
Sacramento police had arrested Adger on suspicion of battery, resisting or obstructing a peace officer, and inflicting undue suffering or pain on a dependent.
—
Darrell Smith
may 1, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
His current preferred strategy, though, is inflicting maximum economic pain, sources familiar with the talks told CNN.
—Nic Robertson, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
In addition to battery, fraud and intentionally inflicting emotional distress, Mendoza is suing Clavicular for the unauthorized publication of her name and likeness.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
But so far this season, Devers isn’t inflicting that damage in any count.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2026
She was charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and domestic violence, and released from custody after posting a $500,000 bond on April 17, according to the Rowan County Sheriff's Office news release.
—Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Saddam towered over Iraq’s political regime for nearly 30 years, plunging the country into multiple destructive wars, persecuting his own citizens and inflicting widespread trauma and suffering.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 24 Apr. 2026
Yorleni Shoff was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, court records show.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2026
Her suit accuses the company of violating the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, intentionally inflicting emotional distress, and wrongfully terminating her.
—Irin Carmon, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2026
Darrell Smith
may 1, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
His current preferred strategy, though, is inflicting maximum economic pain, sources familiar with the talks told CNN.
—Nic Robertson, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
In addition to battery, fraud and intentionally inflicting emotional distress, Mendoza is suing Clavicular for the unauthorized publication of her name and likeness.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
But so far this season, Devers isn’t inflicting that damage in any count.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2026
She was charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and domestic violence, and released from custody after posting a $500,000 bond on April 17, according to the Rowan County Sheriff's Office news release.
—Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Saddam towered over Iraq’s political regime for nearly 30 years, plunging the country into multiple destructive wars, persecuting his own citizens and inflicting widespread trauma and suffering.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 24 Apr. 2026
Yorleni Shoff was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, court records show.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2026
Her suit accuses the company of violating the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, intentionally inflicting emotional distress, and wrongfully terminating her.
—Irin Carmon, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflicting
Verb
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Despite outstanding architecture, what makes this imposing building truly notorious is its storied past.—
Regina Zumarraga,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Apr. 2026
-
While Lady Gaga took the theme literally, slipping into a huge, imposing fuchsia-pink ensemble, others played it simple.—
Blanche Marcel,
Vanity Fair,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Altman pitched the conversion as critical to securing the vast amount of funding OpenAI needs to fulfill its mission of creating artificial general intelligence — or AGI — that will benefit humanity.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
In 2015, Musk, Altman, Greg Brockman, and a handful of others cofounded OpenAI as a nonprofit with the mission of creating AI for the benefit of humanity.—
Tom Dotan,
Vanity Fair,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Things quickly changed, however, as Orlando’s defense stopped forcing turnovers and its offense came to a halt.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The staff union picketed outside the SAG-AFTRA building, where those negotiations were held for the first two weeks, blocking entrances to the parking garage and forcing negotiators to cross a picket line to get inside.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Moon moves through your 11th House of Community, bringing attention to group dynamics and shared spaces.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Rather than venturing far, consider bringing the experience to you.—
Steph Koyfman,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inflicting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflicting. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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