What does inflict mean?

Definitions for inflict
ɪnˈflɪktin·flict

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word inflict.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. inflict, bring down, visit, imposeverb

    impose something unpleasant

    "The principal visited his rage on the students"

Wiktionary

  1. inflictverb

    To thrust upon; to impose.

    They inflicted terrible pains on her to obtain a confession.

  2. Etymology: * From Latin infligere, from in-, + fligere, "to strike".

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. To INFLICTverb

    To put in act or impose as a punishment.

    Etymology: infligo, inflictus, Latin; infliger, Fr.

    I know no pain, they can inflict upon him,
    Will make him say I mov'd him to those arms. William Shakespeare.

    Sufficient is this punishment which was inflicted. 2 Cor. ii.

    What the potent victor in his rage
    Can else inflict. John Milton.

    What heart could wish, what hand inflict this dire disgrace? John Dryden, Æn. b. vi.

    By diseases we condemn ourselves to greater torments than have been yet invented by anger or revenge, or inflicted by the greatest tyrants upon the worst of men. William Temple.

ChatGPT

  1. inflict

    Inflict is a verb that generally refers to causing or imposing something unwelcome, harmful, or unpleasant to someone or something, such as pain, injury, damage or certain punishment.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Inflictverb

    to give, cause, or produce by striking, or as if by striking; to apply forcibly; to lay or impose; to send; to cause to bear, feel, or suffer; as, to inflict blows; to inflict a wound with a dagger; to inflict severe pain by ingratitude; to inflict punishment on an offender; to inflict the penalty of death on a criminal

  2. Etymology: [L. inflictus, p. p. of infligere to strike on, to inflict; pref. in- in, on + fligere to strike. Cf. Flail.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Inflict

    in-flikt′, v.t. to lay on: to impose, as punishment.—n. Inflic′tion, act of inflicting or imposing: punishment applied.—adj. Inflict′ive, tending or able to inflict. [L. inflictus, infligĕrein, against, fligĕre, to strike.]

Suggested Resources

  1. Inflict

    Inflict vs. Afflict -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Inflict and Afflict.

British National Corpus

  1. Verbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'inflict' in Verbs Frequency: #1076

How to pronounce inflict?

How to say inflict in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of inflict in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of inflict in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of inflict in a Sentence

  1. Thomas Alva Edison:

    There will one day spring from the brain of science a machine or force so fearful in its potentialities, so absolutely terrifying, that even man, the fighter, who will dare torture and death in order to inflict torture and death, will be appalled, and so abandon war forever.

  2. Albert Camus:

    What then is capital punishment but the most premeditated of murders, to which no criminal's deed, however calculated it may be, can be compared For there to be an equivalence, the death penalty would have to punish a criminal, who had warned his victim of the date at which he would inflict a horrible death on him, and who from that moment onward had confined him at his mercy for months. Such a monster is not encountered in private life.

  3. Robert Morley:

    Anyone who works is a fool. I don't work - I merely inflict myself upon the public.

  4. Gabriel DiBernardo:

    I’ve seen him inflict wounds on himself, cut himself; break his collarbone and not seek any treatment. He’s just totally, totally fearless, and doesn’t respond to pain.

  5. Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher:

    The aim was to inflict the largest number of casualties.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

inflict#10000#34028#100000

Translations for inflict

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"inflict." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 21 Sep. 2023. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/inflict>.

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