core inflation

noun

economics

: a measure of inflation that excludes items having volatile prices (such as fuel and food) from the price index being used

The Federal Reserve's past emphasis on core inflation, which strips food and energy from the price indexes in order to gauge the underlying trend of prices, has always confused both Wall Street and Main Street.

—James C. Cooper

compare headline inflation

Examples of core inflation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet some say that with core inflation notably above 2% and rising, the Fed will postpone that decision. —Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025

Yet, the core inflation uptick was driven primarily by a 3.6% increase in services, such as shelter, medical care and transportation services, most especially car repair. —Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025

Federal Reserve officials generally consider core inflation to be a better reading for longer-term trends. —Jeff Cox, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2025

But some experts warn that the rising core inflation data is a red flag. —Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for core inflation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration