1
inflict sth on/upon sb
介词on/upon不能省略，upon更正式。
The dictator inflicted terrible suffering on his people.
独裁者给他的人民造成了巨大的痛苦。
使遭受；强加于；施加
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
使遭受；强加于；施加
to make someone experience something unpleasant, such as pain or punishment
The dictator inflicted terrible suffering on his people.
独裁者给他的人民造成了巨大的痛苦。
常与 on/upon 连用：inflict sth on sb（使某人遭受…）
强加；施加
To thrust upon; to impose.
inflict
Base
原形
inflicts
3rd person
第三人称单数
inflicting
-ing
现在分词
inflicted
Past
过去式
inflicted
Past participle
过去分词
He inflicts pain on others.
他把痛苦施加给别人。
The storm inflicted severe damage on the coastal town.
暴风雨给沿海城镇造成了严重的损失。
He did not want to inflict his problems on his friends.
他不想把自己的问题强加给朋友们。
The strict coach inflicts a heavy training schedule on the team every week.
那位严厉的教练每周都让全队承受繁重的训练计划。
介词on/upon不能省略，upon更正式。
The dictator inflicted terrible suffering on his people.
独裁者给他的人民造成了巨大的痛苦。
被动语态中，介词on/upon同样保留。
Severe penalties were inflicted on the offenders.
对违法者施加了严厉的处罚。
Not this
He was inflicted with a serious injury.
Use this
He was afflicted with a serious injury.
使用 inflict 的被动语态时，主语应为施加痛苦的一方，而受害者应用 afflict 的被动结构。
Not this
The teacher inflicted them a punishment.
Use this
The teacher inflicted a punishment on them.
inflict 后接介词 on/upon 引出承受者，不能直接跟双宾语。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
使遭受痛苦
The disease can inflict severe pain on patients.
这种疾病会使患者遭受剧烈痛苦。
造成损害
The storm inflicted great damage on the crops.
暴风雨对庄稼造成了巨大损害。
施加惩罚
The judge inflicted a harsh punishment on the criminal.
法官对罪犯施加了严厉的惩罚。
造成伤口
The knife inflicted a deep wound on his arm.
刀在他的手臂上造成了一道很深的伤口。
使遭受苦难
War inflicts immense suffering on civilian populations.
战争给平民百姓带来巨大的苦难。
使遭受失败
The home team inflicted a crushing defeat on their rivals.
主队使对手遭受了惨败。
硬要待在某人身边，打扰某人
He inflicted himself on us for the whole weekend.
他整个周末都赖在我们这里，真烦人。
把自己的意志强加于某人
The dictator inflicted his will on the nation through fear.
那个独裁者通过恐惧把自己的意志强加于国家。
你必须真心实意，你必须真正想要施加痛苦。
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Bellatrix Lestrange tells Harry this while teaching him the Cruciatus Curse.
在《哈利·波特与凤凰社》中，贝拉特里克斯·莱斯特兰奇在教哈利钻心咒时这样说。
Use inflict naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
联想“in”（内）+“flict”（打击）→ 内心里打击，即施加痛苦。
“inflict” 通常用于较正式或严肃的语境，多用于描述施加痛苦、损害、惩罚等负面影响。
All listed words share the stressed vowel /ɪ/ and the ending /kt/, so they rhyme with 'inflict'. Be cautious with lookalikes like 'district' (/ˈdɪstrɪkt/) and 'addict' (/ˈædɪkt/ as noun) which have different stress patterns and do not rhyme.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY, WORDNET.