1. cause (something unpleasant or painful) to be suffered by someone or something: "they inflicted serious injuries on three other men"Similaradminister todeal out tomete out toserve out todeliver toapply tolayimposeexactwreakcause togive to
▪ impose something unwelcome on:"she is wrong to inflict her beliefs on everyone else"Similarimposeforcepressthrustfoistsaddle someone withland someone withlumber someone withburden someone with
Word Originmid 16th century (in the sense ‘afflict, trouble’): from Latin inflict- ‘struck against’, from the verb infligere, from in- ‘into’ + fligere ‘to strike’.
