What does Inflation mean?

Definitions for Inflation
ɪnˈfleɪ ʃənin·fla·tion

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Inflation.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. inflation, rising pricesnoun

    a general and progressive increase in prices

    "in inflation everything gets more valuable except money"

  2. inflationnoun

    (cosmology) a brief exponential expansion of the universe (faster than the speed of light) postulated to have occurred shortly after the big bang

  3. ostentation, ostentatiousness, pomposity, pompousness, pretentiousness, puffiness, splashiness, inflationnoun

    lack of elegance as a consequence of being pompous and puffed up with vanity

  4. inflationnoun

    the act of filling something with air

Wiktionary

  1. inflationnoun

    An act, instance of, or state of expansion or increase in size, especially by injection of a gas.

    The inflation of the balloon took five hours.

  2. inflationnoun

    An increase in the general level of prices or in the cost of living.

  3. inflationnoun

    A decline in the value of money.

  4. inflationnoun

    An increase in the quantity of money, leading to a devaluation of existing money.

  5. inflationnoun

    Undue expansion or increase, as of academic grades.

  6. inflationnoun

    An extremely rapid expansion of the universe, theorised to have occurred very shortly after the big bang.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Inflationnoun

    The state of being swelled with wind; flatulence.

    Etymology: inflatio, Lat. from inflate.

    Wind coming upwards, inflations and tumours of the belly are signs of a phlegmatick constitution. John Arbuthnot, on Diet.

Wikipedia

  1. Inflation

    In economics, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reduction in the purchasing power of money. The opposite of inflation is deflation, a sustained decrease in the general price level of goods and services. The common measure of inflation is the inflation rate, the annualized percentage change in a general price index. As prices do not all increase at the same rate, the consumer price index (CPI) is often used for this purpose. The employment cost index is also used for wages in the United States. Most economists agree that high levels of inflation as well as hyperinflation—which have severely disruptive effects on the real economy—are caused by persistent excessive growth in the money supply. Views on low to moderate rates of inflation are more varied. Low or moderate inflation may be attributed to fluctuations in real demand for goods and services, or changes in available supplies such as during scarcities. Moderate inflation affects economies in both positive and negative ways. The negative effects would include an increase in the opportunity cost of holding money, uncertainty over future inflation which may discourage investment and savings, and if inflation were rapid enough, shortages of goods as consumers begin hoarding out of concern that prices will increase in the future. Positive effects include reducing unemployment due to nominal wage rigidity, allowing the central bank greater freedom in carrying out monetary policy, encouraging loans and investment instead of money hoarding, and avoiding the inefficiencies associated with deflation. Today, most economists favour a low and steady rate of inflation. Low (as opposed to zero or negative) inflation reduces the severity of economic recessions by enabling the labor market to adjust more quickly in a downturn and reduces the risk that a liquidity trap prevents monetary policy from stabilizing the economy, while avoiding the costs associated with high inflation. The task of keeping the rate of inflation low and stable is usually given to monetary authorities. Generally, these monetary authorities are the central banks that control monetary policy through the setting of interest rates, by carrying out open market operations and (more rarely) changing commercial bank reserve requirements.

ChatGPT

  1. inflation

    Inflation is an economic term that refers to a general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing power of money over a certain period of time. It is usually measured as an annual percentage increase using various economic indicators such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Wholesale Price Index (WPI). It indicates a decrease in the value of a currency – a person cannot buy as much with a particular sum of money as they previously could due to higher prices. It is typically caused by an increase in production costs or excessive growth in the money supply.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Inflationnoun

    the act or process of inflating, or the state of being inflated, as with air or gas; distention; expansion; enlargement

  2. Inflationnoun

    the state of being puffed up, as with pride; conceit; vanity

  3. Inflationnoun

    undue expansion or increase, from overissue; -- said of currency

  4. Etymology: [L. inflatio: cf. F. inflation.]

Wikidata

  1. Inflation

    In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation reflects a reduction in the purchasing power per unit of money – a loss of real value in the medium of exchange and unit of account within the economy. A chief measure of price inflation is the inflation rate, the annualized percentage change in a general price index over time. Inflation's effects on an economy are various and can be simultaneously positive and negative. Negative effects of inflation include an increase in the opportunity cost of holding money, uncertainty over future inflation which may discourage investment and savings, and if inflation is rapid enough, shortages of goods as consumers begin hoarding out of concern that prices will increase in the future. Positive effects include ensuring that central banks can adjust real interest rates, and encouraging investment in non-monetary capital projects. Economists generally agree that high rates of inflation and hyperinflation are caused by an excessive growth of the money supply. Views on which factors determine low to moderate rates of inflation are more varied. Low or moderate inflation may be attributed to fluctuations in real demand for goods and services, or changes in available supplies such as during scarcities, as well as to changes in the velocity of money supply measures; in particular the MZM supply velocity. However, the consensus view is that a long sustained period of inflation is caused by money supply growing faster than the rate of economic growth.

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Inflation' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2305

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Inflation' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2726

  3. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Inflation' in Nouns Frequency: #1016

How to pronounce Inflation?

How to say Inflation in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of Inflation in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of Inflation in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of Inflation in a Sentence

  1. William Dudley:

    Given that the labor market still appears to have some excess slack and inflation is below the Federal Reserve's objective, monetary policy is appropriately still quite accommodative despite the advancing age of the expansion.

  2. Kalpana Kochhar:

    The BOJ basically looks at inflation expectations and the output gap. Even if we were to lower our forecast, we see the output gap closing, as long as there's not a very sharp decline in either, one could say (the BOJ is) on the right path.

  3. Jack Janasiewicz:

    Depending on how far up the inflation expectations you want to move, financials benefit and then at some point they don’t.

  4. The BoE:

    A further downward revision to growth and inflation prospects could lead investors to question once again the sustainability of debt positions in the most vulnerable euro area member countries.

  5. Jonathan Cavenagh:

    Still, with an already weak inflation backdrop, a little bit of MAS easing expectation may creep back into the market, so hard not to see USD/SGD higher on the back of this, with the 1.3700 level now a reasonable upside target.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

Inflation#1#6943#10000

Translations for Inflation

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"Inflation." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Inflation>.

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    cause to spread or flush or flood through, over, or across
    A abrade
    B suffuse
    C gloat
    D monish

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