inflicting
v.v. causing someone to experience something very painful or unpleasant. It is often used when one person or group forces suffering on another.
v. causing something unpleasant or painful to be endured by someone or something. Transitive; requires a direct object representing the harm and often an indirect object introduced by 'on' or 'upon'.
The storm is inflicting heavy damage on the coast.
The new economic policy is inflicting significant hardship on small business owners across the country.
Historians argue whether the general was aware of the psychological trauma he was inflicting upon the civilian population during the prolonged siege.
The verb is transitive and typically takes the preposition 'on' or 'upon' to indicate the recipient of the harm.
inflicting pain to the victiminflicting pain on the victimInflict takes the preposition 'on' or 'upon', not 'to'.