inflicting

Inflicting is the act of causing something undesirable to be suffered by another person or thing. It is typically used as a transitive verb, requiring a direct object: one inflicts something on someone or something else. Common collocations include inflict damage, inflict pain, inflict wounds, inflict casualties, inflict penalties, inflict suffering, and inflict losses. The subject can be a person or agent such as a weapon, a policy, a disease, a natural disaster, or any force capable of imposing consequences on others.

Etymology: The word comes from the Latin inflictus, from in- “upon” + flictus, related to flectere/fligere in meaning “to strike.” It is related to afflict, conflict, and other forms built around the idea of striking or imposing.

Usage notes: Inflict often implies an act of imposing or forcing consequences upon others, and it can carry a moral or evaluative connotation. It can be used for deliberate actions or impersonal forces: “the hurricane inflicted extensive damage” is common for natural forces, while “the policy inflicted economic hardship” can be used for more human- or institution-driven causes. In legal and policy language, it is frequently used to describe harm, penalties, or burdens imposed on individuals or groups.

Examples: The army inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. The hurricane inflicted widespread damage. The judge ruled that the fines inflicted on the company were excessive.