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inflict. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
inflict, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
inflict in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin īnflīctus, past participle of īnflīgō, from in- + flīgō (“strike”).
Pronunciation
Verb
inflict (third-person singular simple present inflicts, present participle inflicting, simple past and past participle inflicted)
- To thrust upon; to impose.
They inflicted terrible pains on her to obtain a confession.
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: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.
2011 June 15, Tony White, Working with Suicidal Individuals: A Guide to Providing Understanding, Assessment and Support, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, →ISBN, page 87:This allowed me to continue inflicting this injury on myself long after I otherwise could have beared, I think.
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