Inflation Meaning: Here’s What It Means and How to Use It

Unless you’ve been living off-grid the last couple of years, then you’re likely familiar with inflation — but what exactly does it mean? We’ll tell you. 

In this post, we’re exploring the word inflation to uncover its definition, origin, and more. Are you ready?

Let’s dive in!

What Is the Definition of Inflation?

In economics, the term inflation (ɪnˈfleɪ.ʃən) is defined as collective increases in the supply of money, in money incomes, or prices. In other words, it’s the decline of purchasing power of a given currency over time. 

When used as a noun, the Cambridge Dictionary says inflation is the act of filling something with air or of being filled with air. 

What Is the Origin of Inflation?

Our word of the day comes from Latin inflare (meaning “to blow up” or “inflate”). It was initially used in 1838 in regard to inflation of the currency as well as for lending and price inflation. 

Today, inflation is understood as referring to a sustained increase in the general price level.

What Are the Synonyms and Antonyms of Inflation?

Now that you’re better acquainted with our word of the day, it’s time to explore some synonyms and antonyms. What are synonyms and antonyms, you ask?

Simply put, a synonym is a word or expression that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word, whereas an antonym is a word or expression of opposite meaning. 

Synonyms

• Increase
• Rise
• Escalation
• Expansion
• Boost
• Hike
• Credit squeeze
• Rainy days
• Big trouble
• Slump 
• Bust 
• Enlargement
• Price increases
• Price rises 
• Blowing up
• Puffiness
• Cost-push 
• Prosperity
• The good life
• Successfulness
• Exorbitance 
• Affectedness
• Pretension
• Enhancement
• Inflationary trend
• Rising prices
• Cost inflation
• Inflationary pressure
• Hot economy 
• Deficit finance 
• Inflationary spiral
• Boom
• Spread
• Cost-push inflation
• Grandiosity
• Big talk
• Put on
• False front
• Self-importance
• Splash
• Showoff
• Showiness
• Disguise
• Phony
• Ostentation
• Show
• Charade
• Pompousness
• Hypocrisy
• Fake
• Big talk
• Purple prose
• Tall talk
• Laying it on thick
• Mountain out of a molehill
• Puffery
• Hype
• Overkill
• Distortion
• Elaboration
• Easy street
• Good times
• Bed of roses
• Exaggeration
• Embellishment
• Hyperbole
• Fatness
• Bloatedness
• Swollenness
• Tumidity
• Velvet
• Victory
• Gravy train
• Flying colors
• High on the hog
• Accomplishment
• Plenteouness
• Luxury
• Welfare
• Plenty 
  

Antonyms

• Abridgment
• Compression
• Decrease
• Deflation
• Reduction
• Shrinkage

How Can You Use Inflation in a Sentence?

By now, you should have a pretty good understanding of the word inflation, but do you know how to use it properly in a sentence? No worries; here are a few excellent sentence examples for you to review below:

Have you been to the grocery store lately? Inflation is really on the rise.

Inflation reflects the broad rise of prices or the fall in the value of money.

Thanks to inflation, my favorite foods at the store now cost 40 percent more and interest rates are through the roof!

Do you know the formula for measuring inflation?

Unfortunately, the end of inflation doesn’t appear to be on the horizon for the country.

An economist on the news spoke about the fed and how inflation is likely to continue for at least five years.

Some say inflation is down, but my wallet tells me otherwise.

The cost of living has been horrible lately… likely thanks to inflation.

If you’re looking to purchase a basket of goods, you should expect higher prices because of inflation.

Long-lasting periods of high inflation are often the result of lax monetary policy.

Buying property is often viewed as the best hedge against inflation.

Do you think the pandemic caused this high inflation that we’ve been experiencing lately?

Inflation has made the real estate really volatile.

Did you know that inflation is at an all-time high right now?

Policymakers have been watching inflation very closely.

We learned about the many causes of inflation in class today. 

Apparently inflation happens all the time.

If you ask me, the level of inflation is insane.

What Are Translations of Inflation?

Inflation is a monetary phenomenon that happens everywhere. With this in mind, here are some translations of our word of the day found from all over the globe:

• European Portuguese — inflação 
• Romanian — inflație
• Russian — инфляция 
• Spanish — inflación 
• Japanese — インフレーション 
• Korean — 인플레이션 
• Norwegian — inflasjon 
• Polish — inflacja
• Swedish — inflation 
• European Spanish — inflación 
• Finnish — inflaatio 
• French — inflation 
• American English — inflation 
• Arabic — تَضَخُّمٌ 
• Brazilian Portuguese — inflação 
• Chinese (simplified) — 通货膨胀 
• Croatian — inflacija 
• Czech — inflace 
• Danish — inflation 
• Dutch — inflatie
• German — Inflation 
• Greek — πληθωρισμός 
• Italian — inflazione
• Thai — ภาวะเงินเฟ้อ 
• Turkish — enflasyon 
• Ukrainian — інфляція
• British English — inflation
• Vietnamese — lạm phát

Related Terms You Should Know

As you continue learning about our word of the day, you’ll likely come across a number of complex terms that may leave you a bit puzzled if you’re unsure of their meaning. 

To prevent any potential confusion, we’ve compiled a shortlist of related words and their definitions for you to review below:

• Deflation — a drop in the general price level

• Disinflation — a decrease in the rate of inflation

• Hyperinflation — a very high and typically accelerating inflation

• Stagflation — a blend of slow economic growth, high unemployment, and inflation

• Reflation — an attempt to raise the general level of prices to counteract deflationary pressures

• Asset price inflation — a general rise in the prices of financial assets without a corresponding increase in the prices of goods or services

• Demand-pull inflation — a type of inflation that’s caused when there’s an increase in consumer demand for goods and services

• Agflation — an economic phenomenon of rising food prices caused by increased demand for agricultural commodities

• Consumer price index (CPI) — a measure of the average change in prices paid by consumers

• House price index — a broad measure of the movement of single-family house prices in the US

• The Federal Reserve — AKA America’s central bank

• The personal-consumption-expenditures price index (PCE) — a measure of the prices that Americans pay for goods and services

Studying these terms will not only help you to better understand inflation but enhance your existing vocabulary, too.

A Final Word

The word inflation is one that has been on a lot of Americans’ minds these days. Defined as the loss of purchasing power over time, inflation simply means your dollar will not go as far tomorrow as it did today. 

It can occur in nearly any service or product, including essentials such as food, housing, and medical care, as well as nonessentials, such as cosmetics, transportation, and electronics.    

Sources:

inflation | Definition, Theories, & Facts | Britannica

INFLATION: definition | The Cambridge English Dictionary

Prices – Inflation (CPI) | OECD Data