'inflict' is a perfectly acceptable word in written English.
It is a verb meaning to cause someone to experience or suffer something, usually pain or harm. For example, you could say, "The cruel warlord inflicted great suffering upon his people."
The strength of feeling in the party was highlighted on Sunday when 20 current and former Tory constituency association chairmen delivered a letter to No 10 warning that the bill would inflict "significant damage" to the party in the runup to the next election.
This time last year they were challenging for promotion under Rösler (they eventually finished fifth) and were about to inflict FA Cup defeat on Manchester City for the second season in a row and give Arsenal a scare in the Wembley semi-final.
When a UK Labour leader states live on television, as Ed Miliband did, that he would rather inflict upon the people five years of a rightwing, cuts-driven Tory administration rather than do any deals with another left-of-centre party, you know the time has come to let them go.
In his defence, it could be said that former soldiers who have seen war are least keen to inflict it on others.
The decision to axe regional ABC facilities is a political one used to inflict pain on Coalition electorates, a government MP has told Guardian Australia.
By the time the fly-half returned to the field Newcastle had been unable to inflict any more damage.
Before I inflict my various observations and prejudices on you this evening (yes, we will be Team Conchita all the way, I'm terribly sorry, in this time-delayed global celebration of ululation, impartiality really is for wimps) I thought I'd come to terms with why I'm a Eurovision tragic.
So a Greek default within the euro, far from allowing Syriza to honour its election promises, would inflict even greater austerity on Greek voters than they endured under the troika programme.
In the longer run, though, both these books will inflict damage on the two leaders' historical legacy, more so on Adams.
I inflict draft stories on anyone or anything too slow to get away from me – my boss, my mum, my cat.
It is a gigantic mirror-clad middle finger aimed at the region; indeed, it's hard to imagine a more obnoxious gesture to inflict on a sleepy spa town.
