verb
inflict
ihn-FLIHKT
verb
1
To cause something unpleasant, such as pain, damage, or punishment, to be suffered by someone.
"The storm inflicted serious damage on coastal towns."
"He refused to inflict his bad mood on the rest of the family."
How to Use Inflict
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo make someone suffer something bad, or to cause damage.
Common mistake
Something is inflicted ON someone, not "inflicted to" or "inflicted for."
Easily confused with
afflict
Common pairings
inflict damage
inflict pain
inflict punishment
Word Forms
inflicted past tense, inflicts singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “inflict”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The storm _____ serious damage on coastal towns.
Etymology
From Latin inflictus, past participle of infligere, "to strike against," from in- plus fligere ("to strike").