Inflicted

Inflicted is the past participle form of the verb inflict. It denotes that something unwelcome has been caused to be suffered by someone, or that something has been imposed on a person or group. The word is commonly used with a direct object describing what is imposed (such as damage, pain, punishment, or suffering) and with a recipient indicated by on or upon. For example, “The hurricane inflicted extensive damage on the coastal region” and “The attacker inflicted injuries on his victim.”

Inflicted is often used in passive constructions, as in “Damage was inflicted on the coast,” or in active clauses such as “The army inflicted heavy losses on the opposing forces.” It can also form a compound adjective when paired with a noun, as in “self-inflicted wounds” or “self-inflicted consequences,” to indicate harm caused by the subject themselves.

Etymology and usage notes: Inflicted comes from Latin inflictus, the past participle of inflicere, meaning to strike upon or lay upon. In English, inflict expresses the act of imposing something (often harm, punishment, or hardship) by one party onto another. The term is typically associated with intentional or purposeful action, though it can be used to describe consequences of events beyond a person’s control.

See also: inflict versus afflict; self-inflicted; inflicted damage; infliction.