inflict
verb/ɪnˈflɪkt/
Etymology From Latin īnflīctus, from in- + flīctus, past participle of īnflīgō (“to knock or strike against”), from in- + flīgō (“strike”) (whence in-).
1
To thrust upon; to impose.
- They inflicted terrible pains on her to obtain a confession.
- The enemy's artillery inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy forces.
3 more examples
- In that case, I won't inflict my company on you any longer.
- Now Azaēlos, the king of Syria, made war on the Israelites and their king Jehu, and ravaged the eastern parts of the country across the Jordan […] spreading fire everywhere and plundering everything and inflicting violence on all who fell into his hands.1937, Josephus, Ralph Marcus, transl., chapter VIII, in Josephus: With an English Translation (Loeb Classical Library), volume VI (Jewish Antiquities), London: William Heinemann Ltd.; Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, published 1958, →OCLC, book IX, paragraph 1, page 87:
- This allowed me to continue inflicting this injury on myself long after I otherwise could have beared^([sic]), I think.2011 June 15, Tony White, Working with Suicidal Individuals: A Guide to Providing Understanding, Assessment and Support, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, →ISBN, page 87:
- Derived terms
- inflictable, inflicter, infliction, inflictive, inflictment, inflictor, noninflicted, reinflict, self-inflicted, uninflicted