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

That figure jumped after Friday's inflation report showed that prices remain stubbornly high and core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy, picked up in August from the previous month. — ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026

That figure jumped after Friday’s inflation report showed that prices remain stubbornly high and core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy, picked up in August from the previous month. — Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

But prolonged higher energy and food prices tend to increase core inflation through higher input, transportation, and operational costs. — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026

But core inflation, which excludes food and energy costs, was unchanged in the month, a worrying sign of how sticky higher prices may be outside of energy prices themselves. — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 14 July 2026

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