inflation

[ in-fley-shuhn ]
See synonyms for inflation on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Economics. a persistent, substantial rise in the general level of prices related to an increase in the volume of money and resulting in the loss of value of currency (opposed to deflation).

  2. the act of inflating.

  1. the state of being inflated.

Origin of inflation

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English inflacio(u)n, from Latin inflātiōn-, stem of inflātiō, equivalent to inflāt(us), past participle of inflāre “to blow on or into, puff out” + -iō -ion; see inflate

Other words from inflation

  • an·ti-in·fla·tion, noun, adjective
  • non·in·fla·tion, noun
  • o·ver·in·fla·tion, noun
  • re·in·fla·tion, noun
  • self-in·fla·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for inflation

inflation

/ (ɪnˈfleɪʃən) /


noun
  1. the act of inflating or state of being inflated

  2. economics a progressive increase in the general level of prices brought about by an expansion in demand or the money supply (demand-pull inflation) or by autonomous increases in costs (cost-push inflation): Compare deflation

  1. informal the rate of increase of prices

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for inflation

inflation

A general increase in prices.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.